Good to see that the Harrow council is working on a Climate And Nature Strategy, though somewhat behind many other councils, to comply with the government’s 2030 Strategic Framework that sets out how the UK will deliver internationally on its climate and nature goals in this critical decade.
The strategy provides a framework of key action areas which could help the council and the communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The GLA reported that Harrow’s total carbon emissions in 2015, were around 770 kt CO2e, which represented 2.4% of London’s total emissions. For Harrow to help deliver London’s zero carbon ambitions, it will need to reduce carbon emissions by over 30% from the 2015 level by 2025 and nearly 90% reduction by 2050.
Harrow has a Climate Change Strategy 2019-2024, but its implementation presents a mixed picture.
In May 2020, ‘The Student View’ charity Freedom of Information request revealed that “the issue of budget and additional resources for delivering the council’s pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2030 hasn’t yet been discussed in detail through the Council’s Climate Change steering group meetings with the Cabinet members.”
There have been Environmental Services staffing cuts: the service is responsible for a multitude of areas, including our parks, open spaces and nature reserves, street trees, allotments, verge maintenance, street cleaning, fly tipping and general waste management.
The fly tipping remains a challenge and the verges in some parts of the borough are poorly maintained.
Harrow was one of the four Conservative held London councils that had gone for but lost a judicial review challenging the London mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion programme, including Harrow, to clear up London’s air.
In view of such a lack of seriousness in addressing the climate change, the council should take on board the key message emerging from the residents survey, which like many other boroughs is likely to be ‘Go Faster, Go Further’.
We have suggested the following:
Publicise climate emergency and promote a greater awareness of the truth of climate change amongst the local population, aiming for a net-zero by 2050.
To ensure that future developments in the borough prioritise environmental sustainability, urgently upgrade the council’s Sustainable Building Design Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2009 to sharply focus on the council’s climate and nature action policies and practices in deciding the planning applications.
Facilitate more Solar PV Schemes, actively upgrade street lighting to LEDs and provide electric vehicle charge points in the council car parks.
Develop carbon emission data monitoring processes – use the data to raise public awareness and inform planning for more and better climate and nature action.
Ensure that carbon reduction ambitions that underpin the sustainable development principle are integrated within procurement practice as appropriate.
The strategy provides a framework of key action areas which could help the council and the communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The GLA reported that Harrow’s total carbon emissions in 2015, were around 770 kt CO2e, which represented 2.4% of London’s total emissions. For Harrow to help deliver London’s zero carbon ambitions, it will need to reduce carbon emissions by over 30% from the 2015 level by 2025 and nearly 90% reduction by 2050.
Harrow has a Climate Change Strategy 2019-2024, but its implementation presents a mixed picture.
In May 2020, ‘The Student View’ charity Freedom of Information request revealed that “the issue of budget and additional resources for delivering the council’s pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2030 hasn’t yet been discussed in detail through the Council’s Climate Change steering group meetings with the Cabinet members.”
There have been Environmental Services staffing cuts: the service is responsible for a multitude of areas, including our parks, open spaces and nature reserves, street trees, allotments, verge maintenance, street cleaning, fly tipping and general waste management.
The fly tipping remains a challenge and the verges in some parts of the borough are poorly maintained.
Harrow was one of the four Conservative held London councils that had gone for but lost a judicial review challenging the London mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion programme, including Harrow, to clear up London’s air.
In view of such a lack of seriousness in addressing the climate change, the council should take on board the key message emerging from the residents survey, which like many other boroughs is likely to be ‘Go Faster, Go Further’.
We have suggested the following:
Publicise climate emergency and promote a greater awareness of the truth of climate change amongst the local population, aiming for a net-zero by 2050.
To ensure that future developments in the borough prioritise environmental sustainability, urgently upgrade the council’s Sustainable Building Design Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2009 to sharply focus on the council’s climate and nature action policies and practices in deciding the planning applications.
Facilitate more Solar PV Schemes, actively upgrade street lighting to LEDs and provide electric vehicle charge points in the council car parks.
Develop carbon emission data monitoring processes – use the data to raise public awareness and inform planning for more and better climate and nature action.
Ensure that carbon reduction ambitions that underpin the sustainable development principle are integrated within procurement practice as appropriate.
Harrow Monitoring Group 