The Climate Emergency UK rankings, released today showing how much councils have achieved in tackling global warming, positions Mansfield District Council mid table nationally at 42%.
The other council results in Nottinghamshire are:
Ashfield 0%
Bassetlaw 0%
Broxtowe 28%
Gedling 46%
Newark and Sherwood 41%
Nottingham City 76%
Nottinghamshire County Council 20%
Rushcliffe 46%.
Mansfield scored strongest in the categories of measuring and setting targets and in community, engagement and communications.
The council formally declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has since been working hard to develop a strategy and action plan to enable the council to meet its target of being carbon neutral by 2040. More details about this process will be released next month.
Cllr Andy Burgin, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, said: “We are pleased to be mid-table in these rankings especially as our efforts to mitigate climate change and council carbon emissions only really began in 2019 and since then we have had the unexpected pressure of focusing on dealing with the effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic. This has undoubtedly slowed our progress in establishing our strategy and action plan.
“We know that there is still a lot of work to be done and the scorecards released today by Climate Emergency UK are a useful guide as to which areas of action need most attention and where to focus our efforts in the future.
“We have already taken major decisions to promote a greener way of life in the district, including building new council housing to a higher energy efficiency standards than is currently required by building control rules, and we have just taken on a Climate Change and Sustainability Officer to help spearhead our efforts to become carbon neutral.
"We are committed, as a council, to doing our bit to making lasting and effective changes to mitigate this serious worldwide problem.”
Every department in the council has been tasked with seeking ways to be cleaner and greener, from investing in electric vehicles to fitting energy saving lighting. The authority has also been selected to take part in national schemes on tree planting and decarbonising social housing.
Some of the schemes under way in Mansfield are:
- Being one of 19 pilot areas across country for a social housing decarbonisation programme. This will allow 12 flats in the planned Bellamy estate development to be constructed with improved external insulation with the help of government funding.
- Green Homes Grants from the Government have also enabled 43 properties on Lord Street and Bishop Street to get external wall insulation. More privately owned properties in Mansfield are expected to get similar improvements and, possibly, solar panels.
- Plans are underway for a £1m Urban Greening scheme for the town centre, including a new pocket park and Covid memorial behind the Old Town Hall.
- The council is buying four new electric vans this year and installing EV charging points at its Hermitage Lane Depot.
- Three sites in the district - Bull Farm Park, Larkhills Open Space, Forest Town and The Carrs, in Warsop - have been identified for woodland planting in collaboration with the Sherwood Forest Trust.
- Mansfield Crematorium is now using rechargeable lawn mowers and strimmers instead of petrol driven equipment, with more rechargeable tools on the way.
- The council is increasing the number of allotment plots and continues to support community gardening projects and orchards.
- Last year the council backed a countywide initiative, Green Rewards, which encourages people to be greener in return for offers and discounts.
The Climate Emergency UK scores can be seen in full on the Climate Council Scores website (link opens in new window).
The council's draft Climate Change Strategy document is on the council website (link opens in new window).