Introduction
The former Sedgemoor District Council declared a Climate Emergency in March 2019, and in July 2022 declared an Ecological Emergency. The council’s Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan was published in 2021 and approved by their Full Council on 22 February 2021. Their joint Ecological Action Plan in partnership with the former Somerset West and Taunton District Council was published in July 2022.
Climate Strategy and Ecological Emergency Action Plans
The Climate Strategy and Ecological Emergency Action Plan can all be seen below along with a consultation report run by Somerset Climate Action Network.
- Sedgemoor Climate Emergency Strategy 2021 (PDF 1.51MB)
- Sedgemoor Climate Emergency Action Plan 2021 (PDF 347MB)
- Climate Emergency Supporting Evidence 2021 (PDF 951KB)
- Somerset Climate Action Network consultation report 2021 (PDF 1.03MB)
- Sedgemoor Ecological Emergency Vision (PDF 1.56MB)
- Sedgemoor Ecological Emergency Action Plan (PDF 603KB)
Some of the actions taken by Sedgemoor District Council towards their Climate Strategy included:
- Replacing 416 streetlights in car parks, housing estate walkways with LED bulbs. Reducing electricity consumption by 60%
- 24 of the 30 our car park ticket machines have been replaced so they are powered by solar and not mains electricity
- Installing tap aerators in the taps at their main offices Bridgwater House in Bridgwater, to save water. Installing LED lights at Bridgwater House to reduce electricity consumption
- Running an electric and a hybrid (electric and petrol) pool car since 2015. The all-electric car saved 12,569kg carbon over 4 years
- Adopted a transport strategy with a focus on encouraging more sustainable transport including cycling and walking – The Bridgwater Way
- The first council in Somerset to adopt a single-use plastic policy
Sustainable Sedgemoor Newsletter
Sedgemoor ran a monthly newsletter for their climate champions updating on climate activity across their district. You can view all previous editions of Sustainable Sedgemoor.