DECLARING
There are local advantages to a parish or town council in declaring a climate, biodiversity or sustainability emergency:
- A declaration can be a focus for gathering support and involvement from the local community, including local businesses
- A declaration also sends an encouraging signal to other local councils.
- A declaration provides a policy basis for future council decisions and actions
There will naturally be a debate at full council as to what form of declaration to make, and you can find one model form to consider here.
Photo courtesy Climate Action Now
Part of the rationale for a declaration is the statutory duty on all English councils under the Environment Act 2021 to consider biodiversity in everything they do. More detail about how this may work in practice can be found in this model biodiversity policy, which councils may also consider customising for their own area.
Welsh community councils have their own approach to climate matters under the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015, as well as their own biodiversity duty.
Whether or not a local council uses policy decisions as a springboard for new projects, all councils have the opportunity to make a difference through commenting on planning applications. Some guidance on how to approach planning applications based on the practical experience of other councils can be found here, including some potential policies to include in a neighbourhood development plan.
Some wider environmental planning guidance, including good practice in dealing with contractors can be found here.
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