East Cambridgeshire District Council is relaunching its Ideas Forum to give residents an opportunity to submit their thoughts on how the council could reduce their carbon emissions and boost the natural environment.

The relaunch allows residents to submit their ideas ahead of the creation of the council’s second annual Climate Change Action Plan.

The Ideas Forum was first launched in December 2019 following the Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency.

The aim of the Ideas Forum was and continues to be, to provide residents with the opportunity to share their ideas with the Council to help reduce carbon emissions and, ultimately, become a net zero carbon emissions organisation.

The Ideas Forum is also the place to offer suggestion how we could boost the local natural environment of East Cambs.

The annual deadline for residents to submit ideas to the forum is 28^th February.

Responses will be collated and considered by the Council to help create the next annual Action Plan which will be adopted by the Operational Services Committee in June 2021.

Councillor David Ambrose Smith, chairman of the Operational Services Committee, said: “The Council has a considerable role to play in reducing its own carbon emissions, as well as helping a reduction across the district as a whole, and this is something we take very seriously.

“Since declaring a climate emergency last year, we have already undertaken a large number of steps towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral.

“We want to continue to engage with our residents to gain their ideas for our next action plan and are urging everyone to submit their suggestions to the forum by 28th February to be considered by the Council.”

The Council has already completed several of its top 20 commitments for 2020/21 (which it set itself in June 2020) including, installing LED lights in all Council-owned car parks and streetlights, switching to 100% renewable energy electricity tariffs at the Council’s head office and commercial buildings and prepared and consulted on climate change and natural environment supplementary planning documents.

Residents can submit their ideas in a number of ways including online, by visiting the East Cambs website, emailing climatechange@eastcambs.gov.uk or by calling the Customer Services Team on 01353 665555 during office hours.