Residents across Warwickshire (but not Coventry) will soon have the opportunity to influence Warwickshire County Council’s draft Sustainable Futures Strategy.

At the Warwickshire County Council Cabinet meeting on Thursday 13 October 2022, permission was given for officers of the Authority to invite Warwickshire residents, businesses and community and voluntary groups to give feedback on the Council’s draft Sustainable Futures Strategy.

As far as we can tell, Coventry does not have a sustainable futures strategy.

As part of its Council Plan for 2022-2027, Warwickshire County Council has identified becoming a County with a sustainable future as one of its main priorities. This means adapting to and mitigating climate change and meeting the agreed net zero commitments so that future generations can live well and reap the benefits of a sustainable and thriving Warwickshire The Sustainable Futures Strategy has been developed to set out the steps to deliver on:

• The Council’s commitment to be a net zero carbon Council by 2030;
• The roadmap to Warwickshire becoming net zero by 2050;
• The Council’s biodiversity commitments; and
• Its commitment to support and deliver on the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Following this approval by Cabinet, WCC will now begin preparations to share the Strategy with residents, businesses, partners and the community and voluntary sector and invite their feedback and comments It is expected that this engagement activity will begin in mid-November and run through until mid-January 2023.

Part of the engagement will be a survey hosted on the Ask Warwickshire platform that will ask people for their views on the strategy, the priority areas and how people want to stay up-to-date with ongoing climate change and sustainability projects.

Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate & Culture, said: “We are very excited to share our new Sustainable Futures Strategy because it sets out our direction of travel as a Council for years to come. It shares our plans for rising to the challenge of mitigating and adapting to our planet’s changing climate, but it also embraces sustainability in its widest sense. This includes how we want to build sustainable communities and develop the green economy in Warwickshire and protect and increase our precious biodiversity and habitats.

More information on the Warwickshire website

See also the Report of the Climate Change Mitigation Task and Finish Group “Making Warwickshire Sustainable for Future Generations“