Council climate emergency response slows down due to budget cuts

Wrexham Council’s response to the climate emergency has slowed due to budget pressures, much to the frustration of the lead member championing carbon reduction locally.

The local authority – and the Welsh Government – declared a climate emergency in September 2019. It later released a plan outlining how it would work to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​

The Plan focuses on four key themes -Buildings, Transport and Mobility, Land Use and Procurement – as well as some higher level actions which are integral to WCBC’s response to addressing the climate emergency.

However with millions of pounds needed to plug the council’s financial blackhole, Cllr David A Bithell warned that projects would be impacted.

Cllr David A Bithell said: “Unfortunately, we are struggling financially with decarbonisation.

“I think with the money that we’ve got, we’re doing really, really well.

“I have to pay compliments to our carbon reduction manager, she really, really pushes really hard. I do push and champion the decarbonisation agenda, both at local and regional level.

So it’s work in progress. It is a national problem as well now, because you see national governments now slowing things down because of money. That’s the reality.”

Wrexham Council Chief Executive Ian Bancroft highlighted some of the progress and positive stats in a report due before councillors on Tuesday’s executive board meeting.

Mr Bancroft said: “It is a significantly positive report – we are talking about reductions in terms of CO2 emissions down 45 per cent.

“There are some major achievements in tree planting, look at the increase from 2015 from 168, to now, 10,150 trees.

“That backs up the pledge we made around woodlands and the Wrexham Forest.

“Across all the thematic areas, you see some very practical examples of what’s happening – five low carbon community plans, the work at Fenn’s Moss, also using Shared Prosperity Fund for community growing , the work around emissions and vehicle transformation.

“I think you are seeing a programme that is across the council starting to have a significant effect. Yes, we’d all love it to be greater, but in the scheme of the financial situation, then we’re making progress. ”

Council Leader Mark Pritchard added: “All elected members, 56 of us, all support this there’s no issue the across parties.

“But I’m a realist, have we stopped it? No. Has it slowed down? Yes. It is all about finance.

“The frankness of it is we have to make choices, we have to make decisions. At this moment in time, our focus on is statutory services and funding them and continue to deliver services.

With the label of declaring a climate ’emergency’, we asked if the lead members were in an emergency ambulance, would they wish for that to slow down.

Cllr Pritchard replied: “We did declare the climate emergency. But, I am a realist, we haven’t stopped it and we haven’t parked it up.

“This is a choice, that it will slow down. Then, in the future, if there’s money, or grants we will revisit it.”

The report will be considered by executive board members on Tuesday 23 January.