District Dispatch - 24 September 2024

If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey through our Climate Change consultation hub (opens new window) before it closes next Monday 30 September! Those who participate will be entered into a draw to win a sustainable living prize, worth up to £500.

We've been really pleased to see so many of you getting involved and sharing your views on a range of potential climate change projects that could help individuals, organisations and communities in the district reduce their emissions. All of this feedback will help inform our new climate emergency action plan.

This consultation is an important opportunity for us all to come together to help tackle a crisis that affects everyone, and we're really keen to get as many views from as many people as possible. Once the results have been examined and the final plan written up, it will be discussed by Cabinet and Full Council for approval in 2025, when the current plan ends.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the local schools who have been encouraging their pupils to take part in our 'Paint for the Planet' climate change competition, which we've been running alongside our consultation.

Throughout the summer, we've been inviting young artists aged 12 years and under to submit designs that raise awareness about climate change and we've received some fantastic entries so far! The top two will receive a £25 National Book Voucher each. If someone you know would like to take part, there's still time to submit a design before the competition closes on 30 September. Visit our Climate Change Consultation hub (opens new window) to find out more and to enter.

As a council it's vital that we help to lead the fight against climate change. The council's emissions are only around 0.5% of emissions in the whole district, but since we declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, we have been working extremely hard to cut our own emissions — and to help individuals and organisations in the district to cut their emissions too. To give you an idea of the many projects we've been working on, we've produced a video on our consultation hub, which you can find here on our Climate Change Consultation hub web page (opens new window).

One of these projects is a campaign that we've been running to help you improve the energy efficiency of your home, cut your carbon footprint, and reduce your bills. We know that our homes are the second biggest source of emissions in the district — accounting for 30% — and we also know that the average household could be saving hundreds of pounds a year by making their home more energy efficient.

While it may feel a little early to think about making our homes warm for the winter, it can really pay to plan ahead, and so I wanted to mention that we've created a handy leaflet that summarises all of the different grant schemes that you may be able to access. This outlines the different support available and the eligibility criteria, along with details of some useful websites. You can download the leaflet from our website (Word doc, 871 KB).

If you're unsure what grant or grants you may be eligible for, the Citizens Advice Energy Team can help identify what support is available to you — they can be contacted on 0800 145 6879 or visit the Citizens Advice 'energy' web page (opens new window).

If you receive a letter through the post or a phone call about home energy efficiency grants, and you're worried that this might be a scam, you can find advice on our website through our Chichester District Council 'home energy efficiency' web page.

Further advice on energy efficiency and renewable energy measures and details on the range of different grants available for homeowners and landlords, can be found on Chichester District Council 'home energy efficiency' web page.

Best Wishes

Cllr Jonathan Brown

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Strategy at Chichester District Council