Time to step up on Protecting the Environment

Following the call from the Lincolnshire Independents, the pillar of the Enironment was added to the NK Plan. We then called for a matching strategy and action plan. We drafted and contributed our own “starter for ten” under Covid Recovery, with a working group led by Cllr Peter Lundgren. We set up a cross party task group at the Council, led by Cllr Robert Oates to design a tree strategy. On the Executive one of our Independent colleagues, Mervyn Head assisted with the detail of the Strategy and Action Plan, which was finally passed for consultation by the Executive on 24th September 2020.

On October 7th, we passed a motion, with cross party support, to work with the Local Government Association and other Council colleagues to recognise good work done to date and to create a strategy to meet the carbon net zero target by 2020.

We are making improvements in our own carbon footprint, but not yet begun on assessing the impacts of our decisions. For example the impact of the government’s “Build, Build, Build” goal has yet to be assessed, though currently all our Councils are required to contribute both to building 300,000 new dwellings every year and climate net zero by 2050. We cannot do both. Which is it to be?

As you can see in the Action plan on page 67, research by SCATTER shows that even doing the most ambitious actions suggested, will mean we will still fall short.

Please respond to the consultation and let us know what you think.