How we're tackling the impact of climate change in Rushmoor.
Climate emergency
We declared a climate emergency in Rushmoor in summer 2019, with the full support of all councillors.
In doing so, our councillors pledged to make the council carbon neutral, and Aldershot and Farnborough greener and more sustainable.
Our climate change vision
We want to have a positive impact on future generations by working with businesses, communities and organisations to protect and improve Aldershot and Farnborough's environment. Through direct action and by encouraging and supporting others, we will address the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.
We have a 10-year vision, which has the following principles that set out what we are trying to achieve:
- Protect and enhance the environment and conserve and encourage biodiversity
- The built environment and infrastructure to reflect sustainability, while enabling prosperity
- Natural resources will be used sustainably and waste will be minimised
- Raise awareness of the challenges and, through engagement, build resilience and involvement within the local community
Please view the full Climate change strategy 2020 - 2030 for more information.
Our climate change action plan
We also have an action plan, where we have agreed a set of actions aimed at making the council carbon neutral and Aldershot and Farnborough more sustainable by 2030.
We have developed the Climate Change Action Plan 2023-2026 in an evidence-based way, with most of the proposed actions linked back to the council’s carbon footprint. We have sought independent advice on our target-setting and this has informed the actions in the plan.
The action plan contains 12 proposed actions, set out below. It is mainly focused on reducing the council’s own carbon footprint but does also include actions which support the objective of achieving a greener and more sustainable Rushmoor.
We do not aim to summarise in the action plan all our activities to support the climate change and biodiversity agenda, as many of these are now part of our business-as-usual work following changes made in recent years (including the introduction of food waste collection and changes to mowing and planting to increase biodiversity).
We will produce an annual report on progress against each of these actions and the broader environmental actions that the council has taken over the previous 12 months and review the action plan in light on this.
Our 12 priority actions for 2023-2026
| Priority action | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Transition electricity across the council’s sites to 100% renewable tariffs. |
| 2 | Switch the council’s car fleet to electric alternatives and investigate options for other council vehicles. |
| 3 | Achieve a 5% annual reduction in overall travel from employee-owned vehicles for business purposes and refresh the council’s Workplace Travel Plan. |
| 4 | Consider opportunities arising from a relocation of the council’s offices to reduce gas consumption and/or increase renewable energy generation on site. |
| To continue to engage young people on climate change through the schools’ programme which is now running in four junior schools within Rushmoor. | |
| 6 | To use the council’s communications channels (including through member engagement) to promote opportunities for residents and local businesses to reduce their own carbon footprint, including promoting schemes to the improve energy efficiency of their home or business. |
| 7 | To hold an eco-fair in September 2023 at Southwood Country Park and Field Centre to allow residents to find out more about climate change and opportunities to reduce their own carbon footprint and to hold an event for local businesses on low carbon opportunities. |
| 8 | To work with Hampshire County Council to improve access to EV charging facilities across Rushmoor. |
| 9 | To refresh the council’s procurement strategy to ensure that the goods and services that the council buys support the aim of the council being carbon neutral by 2030. |
| 10 | To review processes for the council’s capital programme so that environmental impacts are incorporated into business case development and whole life cycle carbon assessments are undertaken. |
| 11 | To develop the council’s offsetting approach with a view to ensuring that any offsetting undertaken by the council has a local impact. |
| 12 | To review, update and publish the council’s carbon footprint on an annual basis, publish an annual report detailing all that the council has achieved in relation to its climate action plan and associated strategies (e.g. Green Infrastructure Plan). |
Annual Report 2023/24
Our climate change annual report for 2023/24 sets out the progress against the 12 actions in the action plan. It is also a summary of work from related strategies and other climate change work that happens throughout the year.
Working with Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council has its own climate change action plan that covers the whole of Hampshire, with the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and to prepare to be resilient to the impacts of a possible 2oC temperature rise.
We are also working with Hampshire County Council on climate change initiatives.
Contact us