Trafford Labour has boosted the borough’s green credentials by developing a Carbon Neutral Action Plan in a bid to tackle climate change.

The move comes after the authority, recognising its carbon footprint must reduce, became the first council in Greater Manchester to declare a climate emergency.

As a result of this pledge, the borough’s leading Labour politicians now aim to ensure all energy used in Trafford is green by 2038 – a challenging target not adopted by other parts of the UK.

The vision is that all fuel in the borough is renewable by that point, including through the electrification of vehicles and public transport.

Cleaner energy would also need to be used in homes and businesses, meaning buildings will need to be retrofitted to improve their insulation.

Council leader, Cllr Andrew Western, Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Change and Green City Region Lead, said: “Without question, the climate crises affects us all, but disadvantaged communities are often the most vulnerable and severely impacted.

“Therefore we are fully committed to doing our utmost to reduce, adapt to and mitigate the risks and threats posed by climate change.

“We want to make Trafford a resilient borough that can respond to the challenges presented and seize the opportunity to do things differently and support the growth of the green economy.

“And producing this action plan is a huge step in the right direction.”

Therefore, it is important that Trafford has the right structures and resources in place to take advantages of the opportunities that are expected to be announced.

Work to establish a resident and business panel as well as a citizen’s assembly that will help inform decision making has already begun.

And there are also plans to install additional electric vehicle charging points across the borough.

While the devastating effects of climate change takes centre stage globally, the work underway in Trafford will ensure the borough plays its part at radically slowing down global warming.

For more information on the Carbon Neutral Action Plan visit: https://democratic.trafford.gov.uk/documents/s38112/Carbon%20Neutral%20Action%20Plan%20Doc.pdf