Council pledges ongoing commitment to tackle climate change
Dudley Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee will review the council’s 2025 climate action plans when it meets later this month.
Over the last 12 months, the council has progressed a wide range of projects designed to reduce its impact on the climate. This has included the replacement of 18,000 streetlights to more energy efficient LED bulbs, successfully running several community reuse share pilots and signing up to the Blueprint Coalition.
Staff working at the local authority are also being supported to play their part with a bike loan scheme that is helping more employees to cycle to work, sustainable working practices guidance and in-house online Climate Action training on the active role employees can play in supporting Dudley Council and its communities in working towards carbon net zero.
Actions planned for next year include establishing a climate youth voice and a Dudley Climate Partnership, bringing together young people, businesses, public sector organisations and community groups to work collectively on the borough to be net carbon zero by 2041.
Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader and cabinet member responsible for climate change, said:
“Dudley Council is playing our part in the fight against climate change, and we have set the ambition to be a net zero carbon council by 2030.
“We are committed to putting the principles of sustainable development into everything we do, which is why 2024 has seen the launch of our corporate
environmental policy and the formal adoption of our climate action plan.
“The climate youth voice and our Dudley Climate Partnership will launch in 2025. We are continuing to work to work with partners and colleagues to find more ways to reduce emissions and work more sustainably as a council.”
Dudley Council is the first in the region to secure funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority for a Net Zero Neighbourhoods pilot. This will see 300 homes sustainably retrofitted with loft, cavity and solid wall insulation, solar PV, electric vehicle street charging points, community food growing initiatives and nature-based solutions such as green roofs.
People can find out more about Dudley Council’s climate work at https://www.dudley.gov.uk/climate and can sign up for the Dudley Climate Action bulletin for more details on how to take part.