Mayor Dave Hodgson Launches Climate Change Fund

Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson has announced the launch of the Council's Climate Change fund, a radical move to fund projects which will cut CO2 emissions in the Borough and protect the environment. The fund, which will be open to applications early in the new year, will be launched with an initial £100,000, with the scheme set to grow in future years. It will help organisations including schools, community groups and the council itself undertake capital projects which will have a real impact on protecting the local and wider environment.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "This bold initiative is one example of how this Council is prepared to take real action on protecting the local and wider environment. As well as reducing the borough's carbon footprint, the projects we fund will generate savings to the council, and to the other organisations involved. In addition to tackling climate change, the projects which take place through this scheme will have direct benefits locally, cutting energy bills and helping to create a greener Bedford Borough."

Projects that the council anticipates funding through the Climate Change Fund could include measures such as wind turbines, ground source heat pumps, solar thermal hot water panels and many more. The launch of the fund at Friday's Bedford Borough Assembly at the University of Bedfordshire follows the recent announcement that the Council will be signing up to the national 10:10 climate change campaign, setting a target of cutting its carbon emissions by ten per cent in 2010.