Brent Council is going to set up a Climate Assembly following its declaration of a Climate Emergency. It has launched a website to collect residents' views on what can be done in the borough.
Comments on link below should be sent in by November 17th. There were only 66 comments at the time of writing.
How
can we work together to limit climate change and its impact while
protecting our environment, our health and our wellbeing? Consider the
council, businesses and organisations, individuals.
Have
a read of how councils, businesses and other organisations, and
individuals can help limit climate change and its impact and then let us know what you think at the bottom of this page.
Climate Action at Home:
There
are 121,250 homes in Brent, of which 41% are owner occupied, 37%
private rented and 22% social rented. These contribute 43% of Brent’s
carbon emissions.
72% of these emissions are from gas and 27% is from electricity use.
Carbon emissions from households in Brent fell by 35% between 2005 and 2017.
Save energy by switching off lights and appliances when not in use and reduce, reuse and recycle your waste.
If you are lucky enough to own your own home and want to reduce your carbon emissions, you could:
Check your loft and cavity walls are properly insulated
Look into installing solar panels
Consider replacing gas boilers and hobs with greener alternatives
Install a water butt. Use the rain you collect to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows
Household
lifestyle decisions can also make a big difference to carbon emissions.
Walking, cycling or using public transport instead of using a car will
reduce transport related emissions and improve local air quality. What
you eat, buy, wear and the choices you make about flying all have a big
impact - more about these in the About the Climate Assembly section.
Climate action in my neighbourhood:
In
our neighbourhoods other sources of carbon emissions include buildings
such as businesses, institutions and schools. These non-domestic
buildings in Brent account for 34% of our emissions, 61% of this from
electricity use 30% gas, and 9% other fuels.
Carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings in Brent fell by 41% between 2005 and 2017.
The
council is currently exploring how it can increase its support for
businesses and other institutions to help them reduce their emissions
and to help grow the green economy in Brent.
Low energy lighting,
insulation for older buildings, renewable energy systems, community
energy projects and zero carbon new development can all help reduce
carbon emissions at a neighbourhood level.
Road transport accounts
for approximately 23% of the carbon emissions in the Borough.
Reductions to transport emissions also have a major positive impact on
local air quality via non-climate related emissions such as nitrogen
dioxide and particulate matter. Driving less by walking, cycling and
taking public transport more often is the best way to reduce your carbon
emissions.
Climate Action by the Council:
Our
council buildings, street lighting and vehicle fleet contribute just 1%
to Brent’s overall emissions. Our Civic Centre is one of the greenest
buildings of its type and we have the most energy efficient street
lighting in London. We are reviewing our fleet to see how we can lower
emissions from our vehicles.
CO2 emissions from the council’s
non-housing estate and operations have seen a reduction of 56% from
April 2010 to March 19. Our target is to reduce by 60% by 2021 and we
are assessing how we can achieve net zero carbon by 2030.
FoE are doing surveys of LAs and the key issues that they have identified for Brent are:
1.
Tree cover. As a built up area we have challenges with this. At the
moment we have 3% tree cover. The best result for a comparable area is
13%. In Greater Manchester they are doing a survey of all existing trees
and identifying every potential site for planting more. Worth looking
into what they are doing and seeing if we can do the same.
2.
Transport. Planning with TFL for integrated public transport beyond the
tubes. How do we reduce car use and the space taken up by cars? This is
often a precondition for increased cycle use. Can we try out "mini
Holland" schemes like those in Walthamstow - which have reduced car use
in residential areas and not had a displacement effect onto main roads.
Can we roll out School Streets more broadly? Currently 68% of commuter
journeys are by public transport. can we get that up to 80% by 2030?
3.
Housing. At the moment 41% of Brent homes are well insulated. The
private rented sector is likely to be the main problem here and this
will require national legislation for minimum standards - which will
require a change of government. Can the council work with the GLA to
retrofit existing social housing and build new council housing to
passivhaus standards on the model of the RIBA award winning Goldsmith St
development in Norwich? Fitting solar panels and heat pumps at the same
time would help generate more renewable energy - and - because they are
right there - cut out the waste involved in transmission through the
grid. If there is a change of government this will be financed through
the Green Industrial Revolution programme.
4.
Renewable energy. Brent currently has 3 megawatts of renewable energy
available. The best similar local council areas have 28 megawatts. What
are they doing and how could we do it? Can we make sure that all public
buildings are insulated and fitted with renewable energy? Schools could
be particularly important here as an exemplar.
5.
Waste. 37% of household waste in Brent is reused, recycled or
composted. Litter is one of the most visible expressions of a wasteful
society with no collective self respect. The key thing here is to reduce
the materials at source - so there's less of it to start with.
6. Education.
We need a review of the national curriculum to make it fit for purpose
in retooling society to combat climate change. That requires a change of
government and/or a massive campaign to that effect. The LA can help
by organising cross borough insets on different aspects of
sustainability education that can be built into the limited curriculum
we have now. A review of apprenticeships available in the borough, so
there are more on the skills we need to make the transition.
A new
Climate Assembly will be convened to channel residents’ voices, views
and ideas as Brent responds to the climate emergency. 50 residents will
be recruited by independent experts to reflect a cross-section of the
population in Brent. Young people have spearheaded the climate emergency
movement, so 16 and 17 year olds will also be included in the Climate
Assembly.
Brent’s Climate Assembly will take part in a series of workshops
through November and December. During these sessions, they will discuss
exciting and innovative ideas for tackling the climate crisis at a local
level. At the end of the process, they will make recommendations to the
council which will be considered by Cabinet in the new year.
The process will be run by Traverse, an independent research and
engagement consultancy. They will use random selection methods to
recruit the Assembly members and make sure that the group reflects the
diverse make-up of the borough.
Brent Youth Parliament will also be holding their own event on 26
October to discuss action that can be taken at a local level to tackle
the climate emergency. Their recommendations will be fed into the
process.
While residents won’t be able to volunteer to take part in the Assembly, their voices will also be heard. A new website
will act as a hub for members of the community or local organisations
wanting to share their own ideas for reducing Brent’s carbon emissions.
These contributions will then be presented to the Assembly to reflect on
and consider.
Cllr Krupa Sheth, Lead Member for Environment at Brent Council, said:
Global heating is predicted to have devastating consequences for all
of us. That’s why it’s crucial that we create spaces for the voices of
residents to be heard as we try to find solutions to this crisis. Now is
the time to be bold. So I’m delighted to announce this Citizens
Assembly and I’m especially pleased that young people will have the
opportunity to share their ideas and suggestions.
Terry Parker, Chief Executive at Traverse, said:
We at
Traverse believe that the best policy is made together with the people
it affects, so we’re delighted to be working with Brent Council in this
pioneering action to hear from citizens how they want to address the
climate emergency.
In July, the Council joined more than 200 other local authorities in
declaring a Climate Emergency and pledged to do all in its gift to
strive for carbon neutrality by 2030.
The local authority has spearheaded numerous green initiatives in
recent years. These include introducing a diesel levy on parking permits
to incentivise greener transport, creating a seven-mile bee corridor to
boost biodiversity, and helping businesses to think about their impact
through the Plastic Free Wembley initiative. Brent’s Civic Centre has
been recognised as one of the greenest public buildings in the UK.
