Settle Town Councils Climate and Biodiversity Policy, and how its being monitored
11th July 2025
In 2019 Settle town council introduced their new Climate and Biodiversity Policy to facilitate the reduction of carbon emissions in Settle and commit to becoming a a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. The policy has also been previously adopted in 2021.
The policy contains seven main commitments the council has agreed to achieve based around the first one which is to commit to being carbon neutral by 2030. Examples of other commitments is that they must call upon on all their powers such as connections with local councils and the national government and resources to make the 2030 target possible. They also had to prepare a report within the first six months of the policy being created which states clearly what actions the councils are going to take to address climate change and sustainable biodiversity.
Alongside this the policy also contains a list of immediate actions that the council can take to begin working towards their goal and becoming more sustainable. It also now includes actions that they must take within the first year following the policy being adopted, for example putting in stricter controls over weedkillers and pesticides being used and promoting more natural methods instead. This also incudes that they will act on behalf of Settle town to lobby for change at local, national and international levels to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote projects helping this to be done.
The council has now set up a Climate Change and Biodiversity Steering Group with the purpose of monitoring the progress of the project. It also promotes sustainability in various ways to ensure the community is invested and involved, as well as reviewing cost implications and funding options associated with the policy.
The council also introduced the Settle roadmap. This assesses the current carbon emissions in Settle and the data can be used to see how the town can achieve net zero by their goal of 2030. It highlights what areas of the town need work, so is a useful tool to the council. It was commissioned by the council but was produced by the university of Leeds in 2019.
So, Settle is doing a great job in playing its part in tackling the climate crisis, and following the policy with the Climate Change and Biodiversity Steering Group is a great way of making sure it is stayed on top. Hopefully more local councils will take inspiration from this and set up their own policies and groups to contribute to climate action.
To view the full policy, follow https://settletowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Settle-Town-Council-Climate-Change-and-Biodiversity-Policy-2021.pdf or visit ACE Settle and areas website at https://acesettleandarea.org/
