CUMBERLAND Council has ‘hit the ground running’ in its approach to the climate emergency - say officials.

Speaking at a meeting of the authority’s place, overview and scrutiny committee in Cumbria House on Wednesday (July 12) Chloe Tringham, the assistant director for climate, told members that there had been a lot of preparation ahead of the launch of the new council.

She said a Cumberland Climate Advisory Group had been established and added: “That’s going really well.”

Ms Tringham said a number of projects were progressing – including a ‘planting for pollinators’ initiative,  Cumbria Coastal Community Forest, Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience (CiFR).

The community forest is the newest of England’s community forests, of which there are 13, and funding of £2.6million has been committed by Defra.

It aims to prioritise woodland creation in areas where there was no community forest nearby, where there is low tree cover, high levels of socio-economic deprivation and concentrations of people. Ms Tringham said: “It’s about prioritising woodland creation.”

The Community Innovative Flood Resilience initiative aims to:

  • Help communities to better understand their flood risk;
  • Support community preparedness: developing networks between community groups, sharing the knowledge of established community emergency planning groups;
  • Provide communities with access to funding to improve capacity, training and equipment;
  • Take a place-based approach to resilience.

Councillor Andrew Semple (Labour, Cockermouth South) said he felt that, generally, the approach the council was adopting was really good and added: “I feel assured but what I am not assured [about] is the day-to-day stuff.”

He highlighted a large area near Cockermouth which was unmanaged and still displayed council signs from the 1970s.

Ms Tringham said the council had to make a ‘transition’ and agreed there was a need for better signage.

Councillor Helen Tucker (Cockermouth North, Labour) thanked her for the report and wondered if eco-friendly conditions could be imposed on planning applications.

She said: “Are we saying if someone builds a house they have to include swift boxes and bee bricks?”

Ms Tringham said green policies would be driven by planning and added: “We are working closely together that conditions are built in.”

Cllr Tucker said flooding was an issue in Cockermouth and it had a knock on effect on places such as Workington and Maryport.

Cllr Linda Jones-Bulman (Cleator Moor East and Frizington, Labour) wondered what the Defra budget was and Ms Tringham said: “Defra have said if we come forward with projects they will continue finding for projects.”

Members of the committee noted the report and it was accepted.