Marches LEP welcomes new county Climate Action Partnership

The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership has welcomed a new climate action group  for Shropshire.

The new Shropshire Climate Action Partnership (SCAP) is being created to drive forward the urgent need for businesses and communities across the county to take action to address the climate crisis.
Both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin councils are committed to the partnership which also includes organisations such as Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, Severn Trent and the Wrekin Housing Trust.
The partnership says it will engage with the business and local communities as widely as possible to produce a zero carbon Shropshire Plan (ZCSP) by the end of 2020.
The plan will set out how the county can achieve net carbon zero by 2030 and will be implemented from January 2021.
Businesses and residents are being encouraged to become members of the partnership or simply pledge their support to help the wider Shropshire community achieve net zero carbon by 2030.
Mandy Thorn MBE, Chair of the Marches LEP, said:
“The Marches LEP recognises the important role that businesses will play in delivering a sustainable, green and net-zero economic recovery from COVID-19. This partnership will build on the strength of this sector locally, to further drive environmental improvements and boost the quality of our local natural environment.”
Mark Fermor, Chair of the Shropshire Climate Action Partnership, said:
“SCAP’s mission is to bring together all of the diverse groups and initiatives into a coherent plan so that we can join up our efforts and have a plan that gives confidence for Shropshire residents. It will also give confidence to Shropshire enterprises that they need to invest in the right products and services to meet the local demand, and SCAP provides an excellent opportunity for these firms to showcase their solutions, invest in training and equipment for the future, and succeed in the local marketplace.”
Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council Cabinet member responsible for climate change, said:
“As a council we are committed to becoming net-zero carbon by 2030, but it is important to establish how this can be achieved for Shropshire as a county.
“The establishment of the Climate Action Partnership is an important step forward and Shropshire Council fully supports it. We recently participated in a stakeholder mapping workshop led by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and look forward continuing to work with sponsors and members to ensure we all achieve our common goal of creating a net zero carbon Shropshire.
“We have a unique opportunity to deliver together a sustainable net-zero carbon Shropshire. The changes in behaviour enforced by the COVID-19 lockdown have led to decreases in carbon emissions and it is important we don’t miss this as a unique opportunity to bring something positive out of what has been an extremely difficult time.
 “We’re pleased to see businesses supporting and actively engaging with the Climate Action Partnership.”
For any further information enquiries can be made to the acting chair Mark Fermor via email MarkFermor@gmail.com.