The Mayor of the West of England, Dan Norris, has welcomed the agreement of a new climate action plan to help towards ambitious targets to reach net zero.
Millions will be spent to make homes more energy efficient
Funding of £10.4 million was allocated towards climate action during the West of England Combined Authority’s quarterly meeting on Friday 8th April.
Investment across the region will include:
- £3.2m as part of a retrofit plan to make more West of England homes more energy efficient.
- £1.45m to create a Community Pollinator Fund to fund more green spaces to attract bees and other pollinators.
- £100,000 to kick start rolling out more electric vehicle charging points across the region.
Speaking after the meeting, Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “The West of England is an amazing place to grow up and grow old in. But we are living in the midst of a deadly climate and ecological emergency.
“We therefore need to take urgent steps to protect our brilliant part of the world.
“We need to make homes more energy efficient and lead an electric vehicle revolution. I’ve also pledged to make the West of England the bee and pollinator capital of the UK.
“These are steps that everyone can get behind and I know West of England people wherever they live – from our most rural communities to our market towns and our great cities of Bristol and Bath – want to rise to the challenge that climate change presents.”
Ian Barrett Chair of the West of England Nature Partnership and Chief Executive of the Avon Wildlife Trust who spoke in favour of the strategy added: “I am delighted this was voted through. Now the hard work begins.”
