Council puts pen to paper in pledge to cut emissions

1:00pm Thursday 15th February 2007

CONFUSION surrounded the issue of how green Warrington Borough Council actually is as the battle to score political points heated up last week.

Warrington North's Labour MP, Helen Jones, criticised the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition last Wednesday for having not yet signed the Nottingham Declaration, a pledge by local authorities to tackle climate change.

"Signing the Nottingham Declaration shows how committed we are as a local authority to reducing the effects of climate change"

Clr Graham Wellborn

"I was surprised to see that Warrington does not appear on the list," she said.

"I will be asking the Lib Dem/Tory leadership why they have not done so and what progress they are making in reducing emissions."

Two days later, the council staged an overdue official signing of the declaration.

Council leader Ian Marks and chief executive Diana Terris finally put pen to paper - eight weeks after councillors unanimously agreed to.

Speaking after what Town Hall spin-doctors described as a landmark signing' - Warrington becomes one of 160 other councils to have signed up in the past five years - councillors were keen to stress the coalition's green credentials.

"Signing the Nottingham Declaration shows how committed we are as a local authority to reducing the effects of climate change," said board member for safer and greener communities, Clr Graham Wellborn (LD).

"We hope that we lead by example since this is an issue that everybody must take responsibility for."

By signing up, the council has pledged to tackle the issue locally for at least the next two years by introducing energy-saving measures, reducing traffic levels and improving the environment.