The UK government must show it is serious about tackling climate change according to Liverpool City Region’s Metro Mayor ahead of unveiling the region’s own five year plan.
Steve Rotheram said officials in Westminster need to put “their money where their mouth is and power into the hands of those who can deliver” as he prepares to lay out how Liverpool City Region’s combined authority (CA) will seek to tackle climate change over the next few years. Amid reports of the government moving away from its landmark climate spending pledge, Mr Rotheram said this could hamper his own target of making the city region net zero by 2040.
At its meeting later this week, the CA will be asked to approve the five year climate action plan which has been developed collectively with the city region’s six local authorities in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
READ MORE: Ham butty and can of Stella led to downfall of EncroChat drug gang
Mr Rotheram said: “The past few years have seen the climate crisis thrust into public consciousness like never before. It presents a challenge on a scale like nothing we have seen - and I believe we all have a moral duty to play our part.
“As Mayor, I’m ensuring that the region does everything possible to go net zero by 2040 at the latest but the government’s waning commitment is putting the entire country’s goals at risk. While devolution has helped us to lead the way in some areas – like our publicly owned hydrogen buses and battery powered trains – the limited powers and funding we have mean that we are still far too reliant on Westminster and Whitehall to meet our targets.
“If the backsliding continues, the government won’t be able to meet its own 2050 targets, let alone our more ambitious 2040 plans. It’s time for them to show that they are serious about those targets by putting their money where their mouth is and power into the hands of those who can deliver.
“Our climate action plan outlines our blueprint for the next few years to help cut emissions, improve our environment and move towards our vision for a cleaner, more equitable region. I will be banging the drum over the next few years for the power, resource and funding from government to make that happen.”
The action plan supports and builds on the environmental and carbon reduction work the Combined Authority and the six local authorities are already undertaking to tackle climate change. It is split across five areas including; transport, natural environment, buildings, industry and clean energy.
Cllr David Baines, portfolio holder for net-zero and air quality, said: “Achieving net zero in the Liverpool City Region will require us all to work collectively and quickly. This action plan is a call for everyone, from each individual right up to our largest businesses, to consider what actions they can take to make a difference, as soon as possible.
“We need to keep our eyes on the long-term goal whilst taking urgent, short-term action that moves us in the right direction as fast as possible. The challenge of achieving net zero will be difficult but by working together we are confident that we can make great strides forward. We are confident that with the right resources, investment and commitment, we can achieve the sustainable and fair future that our communities deserve. This is an existential challenge. We cannot and we will not fail.”
A Liverpool Council cabinet report has also underlined how it plans to tackle the climate crisis. In a bid to better understand air quality, a new automatic air quality monitoring station in Walton Vale capturing hourly data in real time was installed in April.
Subject to the council’s executive signing off on the acceptance of Department for Transport funding and approval of the schemes, the city is seeking to use existing signal infrastructure to manage traffic around the Hunter Street/New Islington road link to bring compliance to the air quality exceedance in that location. Additionally a specialist additional air quality officer is to be recruited on a two-year fixed-term contract.
Road layout changes could also be implemented to resolve exceedance of air quality in Walton Vale. The plans will be considered when the council meets next Tuesday.
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
