Cheltenham Council signs up to 10:10 campaign (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

Cheltenham Council signs up to 10:10 campaign

January 8, 2010 2:22 PM

Cheltenham Borough Council is to sign up to a major campaign to reduce its carbon emissions if cabinet approval is received on Tuesday 19th January. The 10:10 Campaign is a national campaign which aims to encourage individuals, businesses and organisations to cut their carbon emissions.

The campaign is backed by a wide range of organisations including the Energy Saving Trust, Comic Relief, and others including at least one national newspaper.

To join up one has to pledge to attempt to reduce carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. The Council has had a 3% per year reduction policy for several years, and has already made considerable progress. In fact reductions above 3% per annum will be celebrated as a success by the 10:10 campaign. A 10% reduction will however be a considerable challenge, but a number of areas have been identified as yielding savings, not least in vehicle mileage, where a proposal to re-organise recycling waste collection will save 2400 miles per month from the Council's fleet.

Cabinet member for Waste and Sustainability Roger Whyborn said "The Liberal Democrats are fully committed to a policy of reducing carbon emissions. The 10:10 initiative is part of a wider policy towards Cheltenham's contribution to responsible stewardship of the planet. I personally have signed up. I have been monitoring energy consumption in my home, and by making small changes expect to achieve the 10% in 2010. We would encourage individuals, businesses and charities to sign up. There is lots of help out there to find ways of both reducing carbon - and saving money in the process. 10% will be very challenging for the Council because of the work we have already done but we feel we must do more. I'm aware that many businesses in the town are also making big strides on this subject, so we would encourage them to keep going."