Parish and Town Councils throughout the area are having to face the Climate Emergency. They realise that many of the solutions lie with Districts, with Counties, and with national and international action, but they also feel that local people must be involved at local level. It is time to do something. But what?
One action is a Climate Emergency Report Network. Each parish should appoint a person to report to the parish council every year, and also be one of a network of such reporters from every parish/town in the area. That way we can not only monitor what is happening in our place, but share ideas with others. It is really that simple.
The reporter may be a councillor, but this is not a requirement. They may have some experience in one of the many areas affecting the climate emergency, but certainly not all areas, and they may be supported by others. The report should not be limited to the actions of the Council, as probably many ideas and projects come from local groups and individuals. We are attaching a sheet which lists some of the areas that might be relevant to your patch, but reports will obviously reflect the reporter’s interests and the needs of the place.
Once the council has found a volunteer to take on this role—and in many places there will be existing groups very ready to be involved—they should give us a name, phone number and email, so that we can begin forming a network. We imagine that such a network, meeting occasionally on line as well as in reality, could really drive our responses to the Climate Emergency forward.
Please contact Peter Howard, in Winkleigh, on peterjhoward27@gmail.com (or 01837 83362) or Peter Jollands in Littleham on pjollands@gmail.com (or 01237 471564).