News
Chesterfield Borough Council Launches Climate Action Plan
Thu, 5 March 2020
Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader Councillor Tricia Gilby signs a pledge that aims to make Derbyshire a net zero county by 2050
Chesterfield Borough Council’s Climate Action Plan has been published and is aiming to make the council carbon neutral by 2030 and the borough by 2050. The Plan has 39 actions over eight themes including homes and buildings, power and electricity, and transport. Pledges include investing in improving the thermal / energy efficiency of its existing housing stock, installing LED lighting in all CBC premises, and supporting taxi and bus operators with the transition to electric vehicles.
There will be a period of consultation on the plan.
You can view the action plan online.
Transition Chesterfield is organising a public meeting regarding the plan on 12th March: https://bit.ly/2PRq3u9
New Electric Charging Points to be Installed in Derbyshire Dales and High Peak
Thu, 5 March 2020
A host of new charging points for up to 40 vehicles will be installed in Derbyshire Dales and High Peak by the end of March 2020. They will be split across the following five sites, where up to eight vehicles will be able to charge up at each site at any one time:
- Ashbourne - Shawcroft car park
- Bakewell - New Street
- Buxton - Victoria Park Road
- Glossop - Edward Street
- Matlock - Edgefold Road
The scheme, delivered by the Energy Saving Trust, is being funded by the UK government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and the charging point provider BP Chargemaster. Over £200,000 was secured. Derbyshire county council intends to bid for additional funding so that electric vehicle charging points can be introduced in other parts of Derbyshire.
https://bit.ly/2SZpi40
State of the Sector 2020 Survey for Community Organisations
Wed, 19 February 2020
Community Energy England and Community Energy Wales invite community organisations working on low carbon energy projects to respond to their fourth annual State of the Sector survey. This is so they can gather information on the activities and outcomes of community energy initiatives throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2019. The results will help them influence government policy, raise awareness about the value of community energy projects and better support community initiatives to develop their own low carbon projects. Last year’s State of the Sector Report was used by the government, universities and community energy advocates across the UK. They need your input to continue this impact. They have reduced the length and time needed to complete the survey this year. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 2nd March
If you have any questions, please email the project team at survey@communityenergyengland.org
Community RePaint Nottinghamshire 2020
Wed, 19 February 2020
Nottinghamshire residents, community groups, charities and schools now have more opportunities to access free paint for their projects from Community RePaint Nottinghamshire in 2020. The scheme is run by Nottinghamshire County Council in partnership with their waste contractors Veolia. The scheme collects reusable, leftover paint and re-distribute it to those in need. Surplus paint donated to the scheme is checked before being stored in containers on site. The scheme will be running all year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings (9am – 11am) from Beeston, Calverton, Newark and Warsop Recycling Centres. Between April – September, you will be able to collect paint from 4pm – 6pm too. You must book a timeslot online in advance before you can collect. There is usually a good range of emulsion, eggshell, gloss and fence paint available but colours cannot be guaranteed. Availability for winter dates may be limited as they may not have suitable stocks available.
To book a collection slot: https://bit.ly/37EFig1
Nottingham City Council Introduces Electric Minibuses for Children
Wed, 19 February 2020
Children using Nottingham City Council’s passenger transport service are now benefiting from five new electric minibuses. One of the buses has solar panels on the roof to help recharge the battery. If these vehicles are a success, there are plans to replace the rest of the minibuses fleet!
The council worked with LDV, the minibus manufacturer, and Courtside Conversions to make sure the vehicles accommodated the specific requirements of children with special educational needs and disabilities who attend Oakfield School. This is in response to concern about the impact of harmful emissions on these children during their travel to school.
Councillor Adele Williams, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “We’ve been concerned about the impact of transporting special educational needs children to school at peak times, due to the harmful emissions from the van and the effect on the children’s health.
“Loading these vehicles with children who are wheelchair users is always a concern due to the time the vehicle has to idle while keeping it warm in the winter months. All the time the vehicles are throwing out emissions at the level of our passengers.
“As the type and standard of electric vehicles has increased over recent years, we were pleased to find an electric minibus that our fleet team felt was suitable. A lot of these children have respiratory issues and therefore to have a zero emissions vehicle collecting them is fantastic.”
This follows the council’s purchase last year of the first electric street sweepers and cage tippers in the UK, which are now regularly in use in the city. More than 30% of Nottingham City Council’s vehicles are now ultra-low emission.