AN OXFORDSHIRE district is calling on the government to do more on the environment after declaring a 'climate emergency'.

Vale of White Horse District Council says it is calling on the government to 'provide the support required to tackle climate change at a local level.'

The council made the declaration, which received unanimous cross-party backing, at its meeting on Wednesday 13 February.

Oxford City Council made a similar declaration in late January.

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Cllr Roger Cox, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, has now written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire MP, to request that government provides councils with the support to facilitate action on climate change and to confirm how it intends to work with local government to deliver carbon reductions.

Mr Cox said: “By declaring a climate emergency we are sending a clear message to the government that we urgently need more support to tackle climate change. We can no longer simply ask people to ‘do their bit’, we now need to see national policy and support from government which will allow us to implement significant changes to ensure we can achieve the emission reduction targets.

Oxford Mail:

“The Vale has worked hard to reduce emissions and tackle climate change. However, to ensure that our homes, offices and vehicles will no longer give off harmful emissions or use energy which is not renewable, we need changes at a national level.”

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The council says it is calling on the government to:

• Set clear standards through the building regulations for zero carbon new buildings;

• Facilitate the urgent retrofit of existing homes to ensure we can meet energy targets;

• Provide local government with increased support for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including on-street charging;

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• Review and simplify the regulatory framework to allow councils to maximise the use of their assets for electricity generation and battery storage.

All councils in Oxfordshire are signed up to carbon reduction targets through the Oxfordshire Environment Partnership and are committed to a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions between 2008 and 2030.