Staffordshire Sustainability Board
About the Staffordshire Sustainability Board
The Staffordshire Sustainability Board was created in 2022. The purpose of the board is to gather the Elected Members (Sustainability / Climate change portfolio) from councils in Staffordshire to allow discussion on the relevant environmental sustainability issues, debate matters affecting multiple authorities and decide outcomes and objectives for collective projects.
The Chair of the Board is Cllr Simon Tagg, Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change at Staffordshire County Council and Leader of Newcastle Borough Council.
The Board’s Vice Chair is Cllr Nigel Yates, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
Staffordshire emits approximately 5.8m tonnes of carbon each year. Councils in Staffordshire create less than 2% of these carbon emissions, however the group recognise that it is in a unique position to influence the reduction of Staffordshire’s wider carbon emissions.
The Staffordshire Sustainability Board comprises representation from all ten Partner Authorities and elected Members from each council in Staffordshire. It also includes support from council officers, directors, and additional council staff as and when required (such as legal specialists, Chief Executives etc.)
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
- East Staffordshire Borough Council
- Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
- Stafford Borough Council
- Lichfield District Council
- Tamworth Borough Council
- Cannock Chase District Council
- South Staffordshire Council
- Staffordshire County Council
Vision and commitments
The board has a clear joint vision and has made ten commitments that will help to reduce Staffordshire’s carbon emissions:
The Vision
Vision The Staffordshire Sustainability Board (SSB) is to facilitate the collaborative forum, to work together, as the democratically elected bodies in Staffordshire, to influence change and to encourage organisations and individuals to ensure that Staffordshire is net carbon zero by at least 2050 or before. The board will also work as a collective to address climate change adaptation measures that are within individual organisations leverage, to influence and facilitate change with adaptation to climatic changes that are already locked in.
The Staffordshire Sustainability Board’s 10 Commitments
- Baseline and Reporting
All Councils will prepare and publish an annual baseline analysis of their organisation’s carbon footprint. All Councils will assess and publish progress in reducing their carbon footprint in October each year.
- Carbon Literacy Training & Awareness
All Councillors and Senior Management Teams will undertake carbon literacy training to build corporate awareness of the issue and the Council’s role in securing carbon reduction. All Councils will conduct a community impact assessment for key projects and proposals and include an assessment of Climate Change Implications in all key decision reports.
- Ambassadors
All Councils will encourage members to act as climate change ambassadors, to encourage reduction in organisational carbon footprints and champion this in their own division/ward areas.
- Green Travel Planning
All Councils will support and facilitate green travel by members, employees, and their communities through promotion of green travel planning. Policy implementation on green transport and ways of working
- Communications
All Councils will contribute to a countywide communications group who will plan to deliver and manage a countywide Communications Plan, working together to drive our collective net zero visions forward, throughout the County.
- Green Energy
All the Councils will commit to procure 100% green energy supplies for their electricity as soon as existing contract commitments allow.
- Energy Reduction
By 2024, all Councils will start/complete energy audits on operational buildings only. This would exclude ancillary items such as housing or HRA funded assets.
- Low carbon fuelled fleet vehicles
Moving towards an aspirational zero emission operational vehicle fleet, the Councils will by 2025, establish a plan to move to low carbon fuels within their internal fleets by 2030.
- Waste & Recycling
By 2025 there will be a countywide waste strategy that all authorities will adhere to. This strategy will cover all aspects of the countywide waste operation, to reduce residual waste creation, increase recycling rates, promote composting of food waste at home and establish food waste collections throughout the County.
- Innovation and Technology
Working collaboratively with research institutions, businesses and partners the Councils will encourage both innovation and technology development, that will assist the delivery of our combined net zero visions
Download the PDF:
SSB achievements throughout year 1
- All Staffordshire local authorities agreed on Base Pledges and have taken them to their respective Cabinets for approval and to report back to SSB on a quarterly basis
- A joint SSB Communication Plan has been agreed/funded and taken to respective Cabinets for approval
- All local authorities are taking their EV strategy through their respective Cabinets for approval (ongoing)
- Actively engaged with the emerging Staffordshire Climate Commission
- Engagement with local businesses and community groups to work on environmental improvement and awareness
- Harmonised collection of dry mix recycling collection across Staffordshire
- Made representation to National Government on Waste Policy
Keep up to date with latest news
You can keep up to date with the latest information from the Staffordshire Sustainability Board by signing up to receive email updates when relevant news is released.
The last public meeting of the Board took place on Monday 25 September 2023, you can watch the recording by visiting the Staffordshire Sustainability Boards Committee page
If you would like to get in touch you can contact: SSB@staffordshire.gov.uk