The deadline for responding to Hillingdon Council’s draft Strategic Climate Change Action
Plan is next Sunday, 20 June 2021.
The most important thing about the Plan is that it exists! Despite having declared a Climate
Emergency almost eighteen months ago, the Council have not achieved a great deal in that time.
The common reception to the Plan is that it is flimsy, unambitious and limited in scope. In truth the 25 pages don’t have any real level of detail. It also puts undue emphasis on the
flawed concept of offsetting. However, there are plenty of words, even whole paragraphs,
that are encouraging.
First of all, the Council is looking beyond its own services, preparing to play a leadership
role.
Secondly, the Plan makes it clear that it is the start of a process. That process consists of a
range of more detailed Plans, that will have the targets that the strategic document signally
lacks (except broad-brush objectives for the Council’s own operations to become carbon
neutral and use 100% clean energy by 2030).
Thirdly, there is a genuine attempt at involvement. It is easy to criticise the somewhat
simplistic “online survey” that is the main plank of the current consultation, but the last
paragraph of the strategic document reads:
“Responding to the climate emergency requires a collaborative effort form everyone., It is therefore important that there is full engagement.
"It is also important to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to present their ideas and their experiences to ensure that the Council is progressing in the right direction.”
So, the Council wants to engage with us, involve us. It also wants to lead us. So far, there is
not much detail on how they want to do this, so please help them fill in that detail by
identifying what you think is missing, and what you think they’ve got wrong.
Please make sure you let them know where and how you want them to lead us on
climate change.
It’s important to be sure that the Council take the threat of climate change as seriously as
they say they do, and that they will work hard to identify all possible ways that Hillingdon
Council, and the individuals and organisations within Hillingdon, can play their part.
If the response to the current consultation is strong, that lets them know that people care,
and want the Council to care. So please, with just a few days to go, head to
https://hillingdon.gov.uk/climate-consultation, and either fill in the survey, or even better
send an email in your own words telling the Council what you think is important.
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