A few months after we declared a Climate Emergency it’s great to see that Northumberland has been named as the greenest county on the North East and ranked 7th in the UK for low levels of emissions. The work we are doing right across the county and across council services will reinforce that position and our committment to the environment. Read the article here.

The first meeting of the Northumberland Climate Change Steering Group met on 13th September at County Hall. The group is chaired Cllr Glen Sanderson and is putting into action the County Council’s pledges to reduce council emissions in Northumberland by 50% by 2025 and make the county carbon neutral by 2030.

Conservative Council Leader Peter Jackson commented after the meeting “Northumberland is leading the way amongst North East authorities and is pursuing an ambitious strategy to generate more green energy, consume less energy and increasing emissions capture. Working with partners our Council will take immediate steps to moderate and eventually dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. There is a great deal that can be done and we will be seeking feedback from residents on our plans in the following weeks and months. We are determined to demonstrate our commitment to the climate change agenda by our actions and through community leadership. We will also influence the regional and national agenda”.

Cllr Sanderson “Council staff have really embraced the desire of our Conservative administration to take this important issue very seriously. Much has already been done and clear plans across all areas of council activity will be presented soon. This will include doubling the number of electrical charging points in our car parks and increasing tree planting on Council owned land to help with carbon capture.”

Northumberland also featured in a Guardian list of favourite holiday destinations this weekend.