Behaviour
Climate change is a behavioural change programme. Behavioural change is a large part of climate action and the success of both the Council’s and the wider nation’s climate ambitions hangs on all of our actions. Communication and engagement is key for ensuring the ambitions set out in this strategy are embedded within the Council’s culture and ethos.
Supporting Council services to adapt to the impacts of climate change and decline in nature
- Key decision-making tools such as, Integrated Impact Assessment, Capital spend business case template, Asset Management Plan, Procurement Strategy and Due diligence form within Social Services have been reviewed to reflect carbon ambitions. Ongoing exercise to identify and review further key decision-making policies.
- Steps have been taken to transition to a ‘paperless council’ through provisions of hardware for members to enable access to Report Packs digitally. Post-May 2022, enrolment of new Elected Members included iPad and laptop to remove need for paper-based report packs. Default is that paper copies of reports are not sent out. This process is still ongoing to identify further barriers and engagement work to improve behavioural change.
- In November 2022 we launched our climate change E-newsletter, which a year later has 1,160 recipients. The newsletter highlights key projects, useful information, and upcoming local and national events.
- We continue to develop our webpage to inform residents on the council’s climate strategy and progress towards Net Zero Carbon. While also providing information on how residents can reduce their own emissions.
- We have developed a decarbonisation network for Deeside industrial area to develop aims and objectives and share good practice.
- Elected Members and Senior Council employees have attended Carbon Literacy training. E-learn modules for climate change and biodiversity under development as part of regional commissions.
- The climate change programme has developed a communication and engagement plan, which provides events and activities on climate change for internal and external stakeholders throughout the year.
Future Actions
We will:
- Ensure climate change and biodiversity is considered a priority in decision making across all Council services
- Ensure Councillors and employees complete carbon-related and biodiversity training. Inclusion of climate change within induction and appraisal processes.
- Facilitate transition towards a ‘paperless Council’ through, for example, digitisation of wage slips, report packs, contracts, applications, etc.
- Facilitate corporate volunteering for climate and biodiversity action