Climate emergency action plan - pathway to net zero

For Cheltenham to become net zero and climate resilient, and to leverage maximum impact from those around us, this mitigation pathway should provide a roadmap for our town and for those with similar ambitions to follow. We know that it isn’t perfect and it will need to be adapted and improved as we learn. This overarching strategy is designed to be flexible and will be reviewed as the national context and technology evolve. We commit to being reflective, innovative and transparent on the journey to 2030 and beyond.

There is a need for us to develop a stringent monitoring process and the creation of a ‘Climate Change Programme Board’ will help to build this rigour. The Board, led by an appropriate Cabinet Member, will consist of other political representatives and the Countywide Climate Change Coordinator, meeting on a quarterly basis to steer the programme of works stemming from this pathway.

We have a baseline to start from and improve upon and will continue to monitor and report on progress. Continuously reviewing and revising this pathway and our delivery plans will enable us to be agile and increase co-benefits.

This CEAP will be reviewed and reported against on an annual basis to inform of our progress in relation to both climate mitigation and adaptation. These reports will be made publicly available. Internally, the monitoring of projects and initiatives will be reflected on ‘Clearview’, an internal strategy and performance system. We will look to take the annual review of the CEAP to the CBC Overview and Scrutiny committee once a year. The scrutiny committee looks at any issues affecting local people and makes recommendations based on evidence, therefore the annual review of the Pathway and the emerging actions will be of particular interest to the committee. Alongside this, we will improve our carbon footprinting, so that our calculations become more thorough and our reporting more transparent.

As the year 2030 comes nearer, we will continue to ramp up our climate action efforts and strive to create a place where community, culture, business and environment thrive.