Council Rejects Motion To Step Up Net Zero Plans
Opposition wanted more transparency on action on climate change
Councillor Kuldeep Tak proposing the motion at the council meetin
A motion urging Hounslow Council to step-up its net-zero plans and improve transparency around its action on the climate emergency presented to a recent borough council meeting has been defeated.
Originally proposed by Chiswick Riverside Councillor Gabriella Giles, and seconded by Feltham North Councillor Kuldeep Tak, the motion asked Hounslow Council to re-emphasise its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030, to officially endorse the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26, and to provide regular six-month updates on the levels of carbon emissions throughout the borough.
Unfortunately, because of a full agenda, the motion wasn't presented until seven minutes before the mandatory finish time for the borough meeting at 11pm. There was no discussion with the motion going straight to a vote with opposition councillors supporting it and Labour councillors voting against with one abstention.
“COP26 was a momentous occasion in our fight against the climate emergency, and offers us an opportunity to reflect on what action we can take at a local level, as well as a global level, to tackle carbon emissions,” said Gabriella Giles, Conservative Spokesperson for the Environment on Hounslow Council. “As well as talking the talk on climate action, Hounslow Council now needs to show us that it is taking the right action by committing to publishing regular and transparent reports on the level of carbon emissions throughout the borough. We hope Labour councillors will join with the Conservative group to pass this motion and ensure we all work constructively to take local action against climate change.”
The motion also called for Hounslow Council to adopt a programme of carbon insetting, which involves investing in emissions reduction projects. Unlike carbon offsetting, which involves spending money to mitigate emissions, the Conservative group is calling for the council to focus on creating a net-zero emissions borough by investing in cleaner transport, proper insulation of council buildings and the adoption of sustainable planning guidelines.
“Action on the climate emergency requires our local authority to be serious about investing in projects which actively reduce the council’s overall emissions,” said Councillor Gabriella Giles. “A programme of carbon insetting will help to ensure our borough is able to reach its net-zero commitments as well as investing in the sustainable infrastructure that our residents need.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chDecember 12, 2021. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
December 12, 2021
