Sefton Council still failing on climate action
The second Climate Scorecard published by the independent Climate Emergency UK, which measures action on climate taken by local authorities, shows that Sefton Council are still failing to properly address Climate Action, despite declaring a Climate Emergency more than four years ago.
Sefton scored 28% on the measure, which is l4 points lower than the 32% they scored 2 years ago, when the first scorecard was published. Effectively this means that rather than pressing ahead, Sefton are actually falling behind compared with other councils.
Despite their recent determinedly upbeat Annual Climate Report, the scorecard shows that Sefton is doing particularly badly with regard to embedding Climate awareness in its Planning and Land Use, and general Governance.
Neil Doolin, spokesperson for Sefton Green Party, says:
“Put simply, Sefton Council are talking the talk about the Climate Emergency, but they are not building climate awareness into the fundamental operations of the council. They have no requirement for net zero in new homes, little or no climate action in procurement, and waste recycling rates remain stubbornly low at around 35%.
“Their recent climate consultation exercise was a step in the right direction, but they have shied away from a Climate Change Assembly, which was a key ask in the consultation, opting instead for a communications strategy devoid of any real community engagement.
“Sefton needs to dramatically up its game, and particularly as highlighted in its own consultation, needs to set up a Climate Assembly, so that local people can be empowered to help drive forward the change we need.”
