COUNTY Councillors are being asked to commit to making the North Yorkshire authority carbon neutral by 2030.

Cllrs Richard Cooper and David Chance will raise a motion on July 24 calling on England’s largest council to commit to produce its own carbon reduction plan in an effort to beat the Government goal of 2050.

The Council has already formed an executive sub-group and scrutiny task group concentrating on climate change and a report to this special scrutiny group outlines the progress to date.

The carbon neutral proposal would see environmental impact considered as standard across everything from council policy to procurement.

Council leader Cllr Carl Les, instigated the approach in a statement at full council earlier this year:.

He said: “The passion shown by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden and the way that was embraced by our young people who want the issue addressed continues to impress me and in return I want to be clear that we share that commitment to the world we live in.

“We are lucky to call North Yorkshire our home and the work of these new groups will undoubtedly join up the good work we have done, help us understand where we are and what more we can do and deliver us a more robust structure to protect our environment in a more formal way.

“These are actions, not just words.”

Council chief executive Richard Flinton added: “Our current work programme already includes reducing our CO2 emissions and water consumption and minimising waste, for example Allerton Waste Recovery Plant and our Rotters composting initiative.

"We have taken a clear stance to protect North Yorkshire in our Joint Minerals and Waste Plan, encourage sustainable economic growth and take environmental and social impact into consideration alongside financial factors in our procurement.

“But we can and will do more and this proposal to scrutiny is a good step in the right direction.”

The report can be read

here

under 'latest agendas'.