Wealden District Council

What is the council doing?

Generic zero carbon Wealden banner

Action on Climate Change is not new for Wealden; we have been taking action to address, mitigate, and adapt to Climate Change for a number of years.

For example, in 2011, our offices in Hailsham were renovated to high sustainability standards, achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. This included a comprehensive energy efficient retrofit. The offices now benefit from air source heat pumps, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation, passive ventilation, solar shading, cycle storage, and dedicated car-share bays.

Wealden District Council has adopted its new Council Strategy which aligns the council’s three priorities under our vision and mission statements.

Declare a Climate Emergency

Wealden District Council declared a Climate Emergency in July 2019 and made a commitment to pursue efforts to reduce emissions for the council, and for the district to be net zero by 2050 (or before).

Following the declaration, a Climate Emergency Plan was prepared, setting out 43 actions Wealden District Council could take to meet its targets. Cabinet adopted the Climate Emergency Plan and prioritised 23 actions in December 2019.

Read our Climate Emergency Plan (item 10). 

We are currently developing our new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. This is likely to be adopted by the council in autumn 2024 and will outline our net zero road map.

Wealden District Council’s actions 

We are committed to protecting and improving our natural environment, reducing our emissions and enhancing quality of life for our residents. Working with our partners, businesses and the community, we are taking action.

Wealden has introduced several measures to mitigate Climate Change and the council has progressed both regional and local projects. For example:

Annual Emissions Report

The council publishes its Annual Emissions Report each year following the 2019 Climate Emergency Plan.

This report presents the annual emissions data for both the council’s own operations and those arising in the district and provides an update on the priorities set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan.

The role residents can play

Local authorities are responsible for approximately 2-5% of their local area’s emissions (in Wealden it is roughly 2%).

However, a large proportion of the emissions cuts needed will rely on people, organisations and businesses taking up low-carbon solutions – decisions that are made at a local and individual level.

Through its place-shaping and leadership role within the community, the council can influence a range of emissions and help to deliver wider local action to reduce emissions.

The council aims to influence carbon reduction through waste prevention, energy efficiency, investment in renewable energy, sustainable transport, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, housing standards, housing retrofitting and more.

Track our journey

Follow the council’s journey to becoming net zero by following us on Facebook and find project updates and inspirational ideas on our dedicated interactive Climate Change pages at Let’s Talk Wealden.

Keep an eye out for our new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. This is likely to be adopted by the council in summer/autumn 2024 and will outline our carbon neutral road map.