Town and Parish Councils

Declare your commitment

Town and Parish Councils can sign up to the Devon Climate Emergency Declaration, https://www.devonclimateemergency.org.uk/devon-climate-declaration/

Alternately you could set your own mandate to act on climate change, you can find an Example Council Motion/Declaration here, https://www.climatechange.southhams.gov.uk/copy-2-of-starting-fresh

Understanding the Carbon Emissions of your area

The Centre for Sustainable Energy and Exeter University have produced a carbon footprint tool for town and parish Councils, https://impact-tool.org.uk/

The Place-Based Carbon Calculator estimates the per-person carbon footprint for every Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in England. LSOAs are small statistical areas with a population of about 1,500 - 3,000. It draws on a wide range of data and research to give a representative view of how carbon footprints vary across the country. https://www.carbon.place/

The tool was produced with funding from UK Research and Innovation through the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions. The site is operated by the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) project on behalf of the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford.

Calculate your Council's carbon footprint

Local Partnerships and the Local Government Associated created a Greenhouse Gas Accounting Tool to provide a straightforward and consistent approach for councils seeking to calculate their own carbon baseline, https://localpartnerships.org.uk/greenhouse-gas-accounting-tool/

The tool produces summary tables and charts to help local authorities understand their most significant sources of emissions, which can then be used to prioritise actions to reduce carbon emissions.

Councils are also able to benchmark their emissions with other councils to understand how their performance compares with their peers.

Take action!

Friends of the Earth have produced a report on 20 actions parish and town councils can take on the climate and nature emergency, https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/reports/20-actions-parish-and-town-councils-can-take-climate-and-nature-emergency

Funding and advice

Funding may be available to help you take action. You could check out our latest climate change newsletter (link) or try Devon County Council, https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/