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This article looks at the actions local councils are taking in response to climate change, (as of July - September 2005) and in particular what information they provide for the ordinary concerned citizen. The scope of this enquiry has been limited to council websites. This article is one of a series - one article for each region of England.
An initial survey was carried out during July - September 2005, with the results included in the initial versions of this article. Please note that contributors are welcome to add information at any time. This means that different parts of the article may be up-to-date to a greater or lesser extent, but all will be at least as recent as the initial survey.
Websites for all councils in the region have been looked at during the initial survey (with the exception of any - no more than one or two - unavailable at the times of searches - see Notes on method below), though in most cases only 'postive' results (some information found) have been recorded.
Monitoring change
Results of the initial survey could be compared with results from a similar comprehensive (England-wide) and systematic survey in about a year's time to give a broad indication of how the overall picture is changing.
The overall picture[]
Of the websites for the 22 local councils in this region, 8 (36%) are listed as having some information which ordinary concerned citizens might easily find, (with a further 3 containing small related items of information). This proportion may be slightly higher than for some other regions of the UK, with the best examples including several webpages and evidence of an inclusive and partnership approach. Although councils may have a webpage on climate change, it can sometimes be difficult to tell how up to date is the information provided.
East Yorkshire[]
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Climate Change webpage links to Climate Change Strategy 2003 -2005, and Climate Change impact scoping study for Yorkshire and Humber, News release, 17 Aug 2005 - East Riding of Yorkshire Council is one of only 26 councils nationally that has been accepted to take part in the Carbon Trust’s local authorities carbon management programme.
- Kingston upon Hull City Council - Energy and Climate Change, Climate Change links
Lincolnshire (part of)[]
(-)
North Yorkshire[]
- Hambleton District Council - (Aiming to produce a local Climate Change Action Plan, and a Good Practice Guide--designed to encourage sustainable planning and design decisions and inform policy in the coming years.
- Harrogate Borough Council - Global Environmental Problems, including global warming
- Selby District Council - (Air Quality - Key Stage 4 and A level Fact Sheet on Climate Change [PDF] available via council website)
- York City Council - Global sustainability issues - Climate change. Environment and Sustainability scrutiny board doing further research. Signatory to Nottingham Climate Change Declaration
South Yorkshire[]
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council - Environmental Management - Climate change
- Sheffield City Council - Sheffield Is My Planet, Climate change webpage - including downloadable climate change Strategy, plus links to further pages on Climate Change Policy and Climate Links
West Yorkshire[]
- Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council - Sustainable Development in Calderdale - current areas of activity - Climate Change Strategy
- Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council - (some information on climate change on a 'Renewable energy - Why go renewable?' webpage)
- Leeds City Council - Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) webpage: Make more sustainable use of energy and reduce contributions to climate change, available via LCC website
Notes on method[]
(Initial survey) A simple search for 'climate change' was carried out on each local council website. Links identified were restricted to web pages specifically about climate change or evidence of climate change strategies, that could reasonably easily be found by ordinary concerned citizens. PDF and word processor documents have not been included unless these can be accessed from a dedicated climate change page, or another easily found page. Information that appears to be more than 6 months old may not be recorded unless it suggests some current or ongoing activity. One or two websites may have been temporarily unavailable at the time of a search, in which case no information has been recorded. If no search facility could be found, or did not appear to be working properly at the times of searches, no information was recorded.
Reference
Local councils in Yorkshire and the Humber, Directgov
Links checked Philralph 07:58, 30 Sep 2005 (UTC)