Question
Woodley Town Council declared a Climate Emergency in October 2019 and a working group was formed to monitor the effects of climate change on the Town and its carbon footprint. Nine months later the committee has still not met as its Chairman, the leader of the Town Council, is awaiting action from this Borough Council. The forced lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic has seen much reduced traffic especially on our road network. How is this Council going to work with both local Town and Parish Councils to take advantage of this to maintain the reduced levels of pollution that have been seen throughout the country and to encourage walking and cycling?
Minutes:
Question
Woodley Town Council declared a Climate Emergency in October 2019 and a working group was formed to monitor the effects of climate change on the Town and its carbon footprint. Nine months later the committee has still not met as its Chairman, the leader of the Town Council, is awaiting action from this Borough Council. The forced lockdown during the Covid 19 pandemic has seen much reduced traffic especially on our road network. How is this Council going to work with both local Town and Parish Councils to take advantage of this to maintain the reduced levels of pollution that have been seen throughout the country and to encourage walking and cycling?
Answer
Having looked into the points you raise my understanding is that the Chairman was waiting for the Deputy Town Clerk to write Woodley’s Climate Emergency Action Plan and was not awaiting action from Wokingham Borough Council. For information I have been consulted as part of the review of your Action Plan and have provided the Leader of Woodley Town Council with detailed feedback.
The response to the Covid 19 outbreak has provided evidence that we can do things differently. The lockdown resulted in a significant reduction in transport, workplace commuting in Wokingham went down by 54% during April. The Council has been engaging with businesses in order to understand how they can be supported through the green economic recovery. In our latest survey, businesses said that a lower carbon footprint was a positive impact of the lockdown and some will consider increasing their flexibility to allow more regular home working.
However, these have been challenging times for businesses, as some have not been able to function over the last few months. Because of the wide variety of businesses across the Borough, it is relevant that we engage with them effectively, the Council needs to consider their priorities and business model. For example, in town centres, there are a very high number of businesses in the retail and hospitality sector who do not have the option to work from home.
The Department for Transport has made some funding available for Emergency Active Travel measures and this is to be used to try and encourage and enable more people to travel on foot or by bike throughout the current social distancing but also beyond. So far we have been awarded £76k for the works which were completed around Wokingham Town Centre. We are currently working to identify further temporary measures across the Borough which we can implement quickly in order to help encourage further cycling and walking. There is up to £605k available to WBC, however the DfT criteria are quite strict and so we will only know later whether any of our proposals are accepted. Throughout lockdown the My Journey Team has continued to support people by assisting with training and advice and also loaning bikes to key workers and ensuring those returning to cycling are able to check and maintain their bicycles for safety. Now the rules are relaxing, there is going to be more training available, though we have found that these courses are very popular and are already almost fully booked. For further training and advice people can visit the My Journey Webpages for routes and tips on both walking and cycling.
The Council is currently working on producing individual carbon footprint reports for each Town and Parish Council that will guide their actions towards becoming carbon neutral. While dialogue has already started with representatives from Towns and Parish Councils, we are working on creating a closer relationship over the coming months. The Council will engage individually with representatives to align our plans and create a joint approach to take advantage of the reduction in car use caused by the lock down. I have also promised the Leader of Woodley Town Council direct and community specific interaction with the Wokingham Borough Council’s Climate Officers and myself over and above the Town Clerk’s Forum. I want to ensure that Woodley receives all the help and support it requires in achieving your own climate objectives and reducing your carbon footprint.