Top appointment to drive sustainability strategy

Lewes District Council has appointed a new Strategy and Partnership Lead for Sustainability to drive forward a programme of far-reaching action.

Kate Richardson will join the authority later this month from her current role at East Sussex County Council.

The appointment is just one of many steps the new Co-operative Alliance is taking to achieve zero carbon emissions and full climate resilience by 2030.

The news follows Cabinet approval last week for a pesticide reduction policy and strategy for pollinator friendly land management.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson (pictured), Leader of Lewes District Council, said:

“We have a raft of measures already underway and others soon to be implemented.

“Kate’s appointment is excellent news and will lead to a Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy being fully developed by July 2020.”

Cllr Zoe Nicholson

Other climate actions planned by the Co-operative Alliance includes an annual report to the Audit and Standards Committee on the level of council investment in the fossil fuel industry through its pension plan, the formation of a Community Climate Change Forum attended by some of the world’s leading experts in the field, new measures to ensure young people are part of the climate emergency decision-making process and the setting up of a Climate Change Scrutiny Panel to monitor and oversee the implementation of the strategy.

Councillor Nicholson added:

“In the three months since I became leader, my team and I have been working as fast as possible to turn the national and international momentum around tackling climate change, into climate action across the Lewes district.

“Our first step in July was to declare a climate emergency and underpin the declaration with measures designed to achieve our overarching goals of zero emissions and climate resilience by 2030.

“I’m pleased with the progress made so far, but we have much more to do, and we will not rest until we have achieved every one of our goals.”

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