Mayor Dave - A Record of Action to Protect our Local and Wider Environment
In his latest regular email, Mayor Dave Hodgson has looked back at his record on protecting our local and wider environment, which includes halving Council carbon emissions thanks to a range of bold and effective action. He also looked ahead and his target of zero carbon by 2030 and his commitment to measures including scrapping all single-use plastics from across the Council, and installing 300 new electric vehicle charging points at 150 sites
You can sign up to receive emails from Mayor Dave here, and meanwhile you can read his latest email below:
When we targeted a 40% cut in Council carbon emissions, some said it was too ambitious. But by making real action to protect our local and wider environment a priority, we've smashed through that target and have halved emissions. Specific measures have included:
- Installing solar panels and other energy conservation and generation measures at numerous Council properties.
- A successful hydropower plant on the River Great Ouse, despite fierce political opposition.
- Replacing temporary classrooms with good quality permanent buildings, enhancing both local education and energy efficiency.
Having halved emissions, we are now targeting zero carbon status by 2030. This will require bold action and real leadership, and we're already pressing ahead with measures such as:
- Scrapping single-use plastics from the Council.
- Installing 300 new electric car charging points across 150 sites.
- Plans for a new solar farm on disused landfill.
This spring, we joined the growing list of organisations declaring a 'Climate Emergency'. That will only mean something if we treat it like one, on behalf of current and future generations of Bedford Borough residents.
That's been my approach to date, and it's my pledge for the four years ahead.
I talked more about this issue at Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum's mayoral hustings meeting this week, and I recorded a short video after the event here.
Best wishes
Dave