Dorset Council’s handling of the climate emergency was defended at May’s Cabinet meeting by Councillor Ray Bryan, portfolio holder for climate and ecological change.

He said the council were market leaders on what they had done and what they planned to do, and its representation at national conferences indicated the great quality of the team he had the pleasure of working with.

“I take great exception to anyone questioning that,” he said.

He said central government had been so impressed Dorset had received the third highest grant – £19 million, amounting to over £50 per head compared to Manchester’s £28 and Kent’s £14.66 – towards the £130 million needed throughout the carbon reduction plan to 2040. In answer to Councillor Shane Bartlett’s suggestion that the council tax burden to bring about the strategy was quite heavy, he said he hoped the majority of the total would come from government, and that the £19 million was a good start.

“It is a fantastic success story, and this for a council that is less than two years old. Experts think this is an easy thing to do, but we have a responsibility to spend tax payers’ money wisely. It is now down to property and assets to deliver the £19million.”

He said work on council property had now reached the design stage for county hall, schools and libraries, and other sites could be included at a later date, with building alterations to aid long-term running costs. “Since we declared the emergency we have provided businesses with financial support – £16.5 million – whilst also dealing with a pandemic.

“We have changed gas and electricity supplies, and already started to replace vehicles and tools, as well as installing a number of EV charging units. Hansons have invested in low- carbon methods for road repairs, and we have saved on carbon emissions working from home.”

He said the climate and ecological plan, which was two months behind schedule because of the pandemic and extension of the consultation period, demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm for changing the way they worked.

It was ‘achievable and realistic’, but the public had to be part of the plan, because only one per cent of the county’s emissions were from Dorset Council.

The plan was presented to Cabinet for recommendation to full council by the end of July, and Councillor Brian Heatley said: “We’ve produced an excellent carbon reduction plan which we should adopt now. The biggest single thing that the consultation suggested we might have got wrong is the degree of urgency and the targets. It is a matter that is so urgent and important that even if the aspiration is unrealistic it is one we must have.”

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