Revealed: How well your council is reacting to climate change
Suffolk's councils have been ranked for their climate crisis plans - Credit: Archant/Getty/iStockphoto
Suffolk County Council has been ranked as the third-best county council for its response to the climate crisis, a study has found.
Research published by Council Climate Scorecards gave Suffolk's authority a rating of 53% based on a number of factors.
The score is based on an "expert-approved checklist" and included rating the council's commitment, community engagement, mitigation and adaption measures as well as the education, skills and training it provides.
According to the rankings, 50% was an average score for all of the councils.
The highest ranking councils – Manchester City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and City of Edinburgh Council – scored 87%, 85% and 82% respectively.
The study was conducted between June and December last year and each authority was given the right of reply.
Somerset County Council topped the list of county councils with a score of 63%, followed by Cambridgeshire at 56%.
District councils were also included in the study. West Suffolk's score of 64% was the highest in the county.
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Babergh and Mid Suffolk both achieved a score of 58% while Ipswich's rating was 51%. East Suffolk was not included in the list.
Suffolk County Council is one of a number of authorities throughout the country to have previously declared a 'climate emergency' and outlined plans to become carbon-neutral by 2030.
Richard Rout, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment at Suffolk County Council, said he wants the authority to "lead the way" in tackling the climate crisis.
County councillor for Hardwick, Richard Rout - Credit: Suffolk County Council
He said: "I’m pleased to see that Suffolk County Council has been recognised for how proactively it is responding to the climate emergency that we declared in March 2019.
"Being ranked in the nation’s top three county councils is recognition of the work we’ve been doing, but I’m very aware that we still have much more to do.
"Suffolk has been addressing climate change and working with residents, businesses and partner organisations to reduce carbon emissions for many years.
"I want Suffolk to lead the way, to be a county that others look to for motivation in tackling climate change. Through the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan, we are doing this – and I hope that we are inspiring others to join our ambition to be net zero by 2030."
