24 November 2021

The Christmas countdown has started and Chester city centre is preparing for an influx of shoppers and visitors.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is encouraging visitors to give the Park & Ride a try.

The frequent service helps visitors to enjoy everything the city has to offer this Christmas, quickly and easily, with fares now half price, at just £1, until 9 January 2022; while also reducing traffic queues and pollution.

To help get festivities off to a good start, as well as subsiding low price fares, the Council has also extended the service every Thursday up to Christmas, for late night Christmas shopping.

Families with children coming into the city can take advantage of free travel for under 16s, if they are accompanied by a fare paying adult.
The three Park & Ride sites at Wrexham Road, Upton (Chester Zoo) and Boughton have a total of over 2,400 free parking spaces, a bus every 10 to 12 minutes and 12-minute journey times.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “If you’re thinking of coming into Chester this festive season, please use the Park & Ride. Why not take advantage of the late-night shopping, as every Thursday up to Christmas, the last bus back to the three Park & Ride sites will be around 9pm, rather than 7pm."

“You’ll be doing your bit to cut Christmas congestion as queues build during the busy build up to the festive season. Recently, we’ve all become more aware of the climate emergency and the need to all play our part to reduce emissions, using the Park and Ride is the perfect way to do this."

“You’ll also be travelling safely as all our buses are subject to a rigorous cleansing regime and face masks are available on board, if you choose to wear one. Our stylish and comfortable Park & Ride buses have USB charging, free wifi and premium seating. Jumping on the bus means no parking charges and travel into the city is now half price at just £1 for a return ticket until 9 January 2022.”

More information, timetables and routes are available on the Council’s website, including where to park.

26 November 2021

National Tree Week sees people around the country joining together to celebrate the beginning of the winter tree planting season.

The celebration, which takes place between the 27 November and 5 December this year, highlights the importance of trees, both for the environment and for our health and wellbeing.

New woodlands provide many benefits for communities, including playing their part to reduce flood risk by helping to increase water infiltration and reduce surface water run-off, delivering more home-grown timber, providing more places for nature and biodiversity to thrive, and increasing people's access to nature.

In west Cheshire, our local Community Forest, The Mersey Forest, planted over 81,000 trees last planting season thanks to the Trees for Climate programme, a multi-million pound national tree planting programme.

This year, the team has already been out on site planting over 5,400 trees at a farm near to Frodsham and have plans to plant over 140 hectares across Cheshire and Merseyside by the end of March 2022.

Get planting

Planting more trees and hedgerows will make a big difference as we work together to tackle the climate and nature crises, but you might not know where to start.

If you have land available that would be suitable to plant trees on, you can contact The Mersey Forest team for free advice and support.

• Contact The Mersey Forest

If you are interested in planting a tree in your garden, the team has a useful guide to help you plant and care for trees.

• Download the guide here

Alternatively, sign up for the Tree Council’s free webinar on Monday 29 November, 6-7pm, to learn all about tree planting from their resident tree expert, Jon Stokes.

• Sign up for the Tree Council’s webinar

Get out in nature

Getting out in nature and amongst the trees has many health benefits and studies have found that spending time in the woods can boost immune function, reduce stress hormones, and cause you to physically relax.
In west Cheshire, we’re lucky to have a great range of woodlands to enjoy on our doorstep, including Marbury Country Park in Northwich with its magnificent lime avenues and arboretum and Delamere Forest, with miles of walking and cycling trails.

• View Council managed parks, greenspaces and woodlands
• Explore woodlands and Forests across Cheshire and Merseyside

Get the kids involved

Woodlands are great places for kids to play and learn more about nature, and natural play is great for children's development. Research has shown that natural play can boost cognitive abilities, increase physical fitness, reduce symptoms of attention deficit disorder and even help improve grades in school.

To get some ideas of the type of activities you could enjoy as a family, download The Mersey Forest’s Trees for Learning pack which has suggested activities for every season and for a range of ages, from early years through to children in key stage 2.

• Download the Trees for Learning pack

If you decide to plant a tree this tree planting season, or have a favourite tree you would like to share, put the details on the ‘Your stories’ section of the Climate Emergency Inspire page. You might just inspire someone else to get planting.

22 November 2021

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Road Safety team has been applauded for its Junior Safety Officers (JSO) programme in the Modeshift National Sustainable Travel Awards.

The Council’s Road Safety team provides a range of programmes to schools and colleges across the borough to help keep children and young people safe on our roads whilst increasing safe active travel.

These programmes are also designed to have a positive impact on health and wellbeing whilst helping to cut air pollution, which in turn will aid towards the borough’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2045 as part of the Council’s commitment to tackle the Climate Emergency.
The JSO project was shortlisted for the ‘Best Project under £1000 for 2021’ category. The national Modeshift awards recognise those who work in education and community settings for all their hard work and contribution to the world of sustainable travel. It is designed to celebrate achievements of those who work together to achieve shared aims and objectives.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “The JSO project is a partnership between the Council’s Road Safety Team, Cheshire Constabulary and the Safer Schools and Young People Partnership (SSYP) who work to promote road, community and personal safety to primary school children through elected year six pupils. These Junior Safety Officers are responsible for setting an example of good safety to the other pupils."

“Well done to the Road Safety and all our Junior Safety Officers, I’m delighted they’ve been recognised for all their hard work across the borough.”

Covid-19 had a big impact on how the team can deliver the programmes as it has not been possible to enter schools as freely. To keep the JSO initiative running the team explored new ways of delivering their programmes and messages.

The launch of the JSO initiative usually involved a large presentation ceremony each September with the children being briefed on the programme and receiving their certificates in person. As it was no longer possible to hold this ceremony the Road Safety team organised and produced a video message to welcome the children and their adult helpers to their role which was distributed to the schools, followed by additional videos each month.

Councillor Shore added: “We’ve overwhelmed by the positive response to the videos produced and the Council has been one of the few local authorities in the region who have been able to keep the JSO programme running by adopting this proactive and innovative approach.”

The Road Safety team has been working with the Modeshift Stars programme in schools over the last two years and decided to enter this JSO scheme for a National Travel Award in October 2021 due to its success especially given the new way of delivering messages and the programme.

11 November 2021

Residents across Cheshire West and Chester can benefit from taking part in Healthy Conservation sessions in parks and green spaces across the borough this winter.

The sessions, as part of Cheshire’s Natural Health Service, provide participants with an introduction into conservation activities in community woodlands, parks and green spaces, whilst improving their physical activity and mental wellbeing.

Cheshire’s Natural Health Service, which is part-funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council and managed by The Mersey Forest, uses the Boroughs green spaces to help tackle health inequalities. The service, which has been running since 2017, has helped nearly 4,000 people locally connect with nature and in turn improve their health through activities such as group walking, mindfulness, horticulture therapy, healthy conservation and bushcraft.

The Healthy Conservation sessions are open to all residents and participants will get to learn new skills, taking part in activities such as hedge and tree planting, pond maintenance and wild flower seeding.

Alongside supporting residents health and wellbeing the sessions will also help to improve and protect the natural environment, an important part of the borough’s Climate Emergency Response Plan which sets out how the borough will become carbon neutral by 2045.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Poverty and Wellbeing, said: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve seen how getting out in nature has incredible benefits for people’s health and wellbeing. These sessions provide residents with an opportunity to learn new skills whilst connecting with nature and others in their community.

“One of the Council’s priorities is to help our residents live longer, healthier and happier lives something that is central to this programme of work. Through Cheshire’s Natural Health Service, we are able to use our own green spaces as health assets, empowering residents to take a preventative, self-care approach to their wellbeing, whilst enjoying and protecting the many beautiful green spaces we have in the borough.”

Sessions are currently organised to take place at the following parks and green spaces.

• Jubilee Field in Huntington, Chester
• Whitby Park in Ellesmere Port
• Sytchcroft Park in Neston
• Saxons Lane, Northwich

Full details on dates and times of sessions, including how to take part, are available on: www.naturalhealthservice.org.uk/Cheshire

Funding for the part of the programme has been secured through the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF), which provides funding to local authorities in England to help reduce the spread of coronavirus and support local public health.

The Ghost Whale at the Grosvenor Museum

Staff at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester have worked with members of the public to build a ghost whale out of recycled material to highlight the climate crisis affecting nature and wildlife globally.

The 2.5 metre long structure, which featured on ITV news recently, has been created from a willow frame and recycled materials such as milk bottles, paper and re-used bubble wrap, and is hung in the museum’s entrance for visitors to see.

Members of the public have had their input into the project, with visitors attending a recent drop-in family activity writing their climate change pledges on to the recyclable plastic milk bottles collected by museum and Council staff.

The climate change pledges made highlight the actions that people can take to do their bit to help the environment. Pledges included: ‘Always recycle our cans, plastic, paper’, ‘Turn lights off’ and ‘Buy less clothes, re-use and re-wear’.

Lucy Ashdown, Interpretation Development Officer at the museum, explains how the team were inspired to build the whale: “The whale is formed mainly of white material giving it the appearance of a ghost. It was inspired by a recent Nature and Climate Change exhibition at the museum which explored how nature is affected by climate change and also by the UN’s climate change conference, COP26, which is highlighting the climate and nature emergencies facing the world.

“Many unrecycled and unrecyclable plastics in our oceans are harming sea-life; if this continues, in time all we might have left of whales are their ghosts.”

The museum team have also incorporated environmental messages into the displays in the museums Natural History Gallery, some of these show the harmful netting or plastic that is killing the birds that are featured in the gallery. To help visitors understand the extent of the problem, the birds and mammals in the gallery have also been labelled with a traffic light system – with red showing animals highly at risk and requiring urgent action; orange for at risk and green for not at risk.

To find out more about the Grosvenor Museum’s exhibitions and opening times visit: grosvenormuseum.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk/

9 November 2021

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s libraries have come up with an eco-friendly way for residents to help play their part in looking after their community and the environment. Litter picking kits are now available to borrow, for free, from all libraries in the borough.

Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Councillor Louise Gittins said: “Inspired by the amazing work carried out by local litter picking groups, our libraries have teamed up with StreetCare colleagues to make litter picking kits available for hire."

“The adult and junior kits are made up of a litter picker, hi-vis vest and council litter bags. So, it’s now really easy for everyone to help clean up their local area, either as part of a larger group, a one-off event or as and when required around their neighbourhood"

“With COP26 taking place this month, now is the ideal time to launch this project. Just ask a member of staff when you’re next in your local library and they’ll explain how it all works.”

You can also find all essential books about climate change in a new, dedicated reading list, available via the Libraries’ catalogue https://cheslive.koha-ptfs.co.uk/.

Libraries have also added inspirational titles on sustainability and easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Libraries and Streetcare staff will be attending the Sustainable Cheshire Winter Fair on Saturday 13 November at Rowton Hall, Chester. Anyone attending (the event is free but ticket-only) is welcome to come along and have a chat about the Litter Picking Kit initiative.

If you’d like to organise a larger litter picking event, please contact yourstreets@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
For information about other services and activities provided by Cheshire West Libraries go to www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/libraries

9 November 2021

Nearly £200,000 has been pledged by Cheshire West and Chester Council to community projects taking part in the Cheshire West Crowd.
The Cheshire West Crowd, which is being run by the Council in partnership with Spacehive, is an exciting new digital crowdfunding initiative, providing an opportunity for community-led ideas to be created so the borough can become more vibrant, resilient and connected.

A total of 20 community projects have been supported by the Council through various funding pots, covering areas like mental health support, the Climate Emergency and much more. Details of the funding made available by the Council can be found on the Cheshire West Crowd.
A number of projects, such as Crossroads Community Hub’s Greenway Grocer, Chapter Mental Health’s Christmas meal and Incredible Edible Westminster Park, have now reached their crowdfunding targets, while others are still counting on support.

Residents, businesses, foundations and anyone else interested can donate to community projects through the Cheshire West Crowd and any pledge, no matter how big or small, could make a real difference to these initiatives.

• Check out the community projects on the Cheshire West Crowd

Rev Andy Glover, Minister of Hoole Baptist Church, Lead Partner of Crossroads Community Hub, said: “The Hub began helping provide emergency food parcels to those specifically impacted by the pandemic and we’re now excited to have the opportunity to provide affordable food, alongside emergency food, through the Greenway Grocer project."

“It’s always been our desire to provide food to feed bodies and communities and fill hearts with hope through the work of the Hub.
“With the amazing support from Cheshire West and Chester Council through the Cheshire West Crowd platform on Spacehive, we can really begin to fulfil this dream.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, added: “Inspiring projects on the Cheshire West Crowd pitched to the Council and we’re delighted to have been able to support so many of them."

“These projects will no doubt make a real difference to our communities and it’s great to see some of them have already reached their targets."

“For those projects still crowdfunding, it’d be fantastic to see residents, businesses and funders get behind them through the Cheshire West Crowd."

“This platform is an innovative way for projects to raise funds and the whole community to come together."

“We’ll be developing the Cheshire West Crowd further in the coming months and there will be more funding rounds in the future so I’d encourage anyone with ideas to get involved.”

If you’re interested in putting forward an idea, the next deadline is Wednesday 23 March.

• Fill in a short online form

Organisations wanting to explore supporting multiple local projects can contact: info@spacehive.com.

2 November 2021

Cheshire West and Chester Council is asking residents to share their thoughts and ideas on a draft Land Action Plan which has been produced for the borough. Responses to the plan will help to shape how the Council works with partners and residents to reduce emissions from land use, which currently stand at 340,000 tons of CO2 per year in the borough.

The Land Action Plan: for the Climate and Nature Emergencies responds to the climate and nature emergencies facing communities worldwide, including here in west Cheshire, and focuses on land use, adaption and climate repair, a key theme of the borough’s Climate Emergency Response Plan. Setting out a vision for land in west Cheshire, the plan includes 68 actions that will help to restore and protect nature, which will both help tackle the climate crisis and provide many benefits for our communities.

Cllr Matt Bryan, Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Climate Emergency, said: “We’re asking residents to join the conversation and share their views and ideas on the plans for land use. The next steps we take will play an essential role in mitigating and adapting to climate change."

“This consultation follows on from the one we carried out in 2020 to inform the Climate Emergency Response Plan. This is your opportunity to comment on proposals such as carbon sequestration, water management, heat management and many other ways that the Council would work with stakeholders throughout the borough to influence land use to deliver climate and nature recovery.”

Earlier in the year, the Council ran an engagement exercise on the Local Plan, which asked people to share their ideas on what the Local Plan could do to address climate change, to protect and enhance the natural and built environment and to highlight land that is important to protect. This Land Action Plan consultation provides an opportunity to look at land use in the borough in more detail.

The Land Action Plan consultation launched on Monday, 1 November. The consultation describes the current status of land use in the borough, shares data and good practice, and asks for feedback on proposed actions for the plan. A summary version of the Plan has been produced to supplement the full version.

How to get involved:

The six-week consultation period is open until Sunday 12 December. Residents can give their views by taking part online. The consultation is available to view on the Participate Now site.

Comments can also be sent in via the following methods.

• Email: Climatechange3@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
• Postal address: Land Action Plan Consultation, Climate Change Team, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BE

View the plan

View the summary of the draft Land Action Plan
View the full draft of the Land Action Plan

25 October 2021

As part of the journey to becoming a carbon neutral organisation and supporting the borough to reach net zero emissions, Cheshire West and Chester Council has made two pledges to show their commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency ahead of COP26 taking place at the end of this week.

The Council is already a member of UK100, a network of UK local authorities who have pledged to play their part in the global effort to avoid the worst impact of climate change by switching to 100 per cent clean energy. Building on this commitment, the Council has now signed up to the UK100 Net Zero pledge, which states that the Council will bring the organisation’s emissions to net zero by 2030. As part of this pledge, the Council will also work with residents and businesses in the area to bring the borough’s emissions to net zero by 2045, five years earlier than the Government’s national target.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “We are thrilled to sign up to the UK100 network’s Net Zero Pledge and join local authorities nationally to commit to reducing our carbon emissions.

“COP26 is a unique opportunity to change how we tackle the climate crisis. It is focused on collaborative working and our Climate Emergency response plan is clear that we need to work together, as a borough and alongside other local authorities and the Government. As one of the UK’s highest emitting local authorities, we feel a real responsibility to take action now to contribute our fair share to keeping global temperature rise to below 1.5°C, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building sustainable, prosperous and healthy communities.

“By working together with our UK100 partners, we can make our collective voice stronger than ever, showcase achievements in the borough and ensure that Cheshire West and Chester is at the heart of the green industrial revolution.”

Locally, the Council has joined other businesses and individuals to take part in Cheshire West Voluntary Action’s (CWVA) Green Pledges campaign, with a set of actions pledged to help the Council to achieve its carbon neutral targets.

The 10 pledges align with the Council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan and Carbon Management Plan.
1. Flying – The Council will continue to minimise personal and business air flights
2. Car emissions – The Council will continue to reduce business mileage and change to electric and renewably fuelled vehicles
3. Consumption – The Council will proactively attempt to reduce its resource consumption
4. Reuse and recycle – The Council will support residents to increase reuse and recycling of resources
5. 100 per cent renewable energy – The Council will move towards using 100 per cent renewable energy sources
6. Low Carbon Industry - The Council will ensure its resources contribute to achieving a rapid transition to decarbonised industry
7. Eat healthy, eat local – The Council will promote the role of local food producers, to reduce transport emissions associated with imported food, and promote healthy eating and lifestyles in line with the Council’s Healthy Weight pledge
8. Food waste – The Council will seek to reduce food waste
9. Protecting our trees – The Council will continue to commit to planting and maintaining more trees
10. Single Use Plastics – The Council will continue to work to reduce the use of single use plastics.

Councillor Matt Bryan, Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Climate Emergency, said: “These 10 pledges set out some of the steps that we are taking locally, as a Council to become a carbon neutral organisation, and show our commitment to playing our part in the national and global effort to tackle climate change.

“We want to lead from the front on this agenda and inspire other organisations and individuals across the borough to join us in taking steps to reducing their carbon footprint and, in turn, creating healthier, more resilient communities that embrace and protect the local environment.”

Groups and individuals can sign up to CWVA’s Green Pledges campaign online.

Share what you are doing to tackle the Climate Emergency on the Council’s Climate Emergency Inspire page

22 October 2021

Whilst west Cheshire has an economy valued at over £10.5 billion a year, not everyone is benefitting from this. Some areas have higher levels of deprivation and poverty, and lower life expectancy.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is working with residents and partners to create a new Inclusive Economy strategy, to ensure that all residents, businesses, and places can thrive.

Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth, Economy & Regeneration said: “We want to hear your views on the economy in west Cheshire, and what should be done to make it greener, fairer and stronger for everyone.

“We want to create an economy that enables all of our residents, businesses and places to thrive. You might have concerns about the availability of good jobs or training, you might have thoughts on the role of businesses and large employers and how they can play a role in combating climate change or providing more opportunities for local people. You might have started working from home and be facing various challenges as a result, you might have ideas for regeneration projects or how to make our communities happier and healthier.

“We want to hear from everyone who has an interest in how our local economy works and how it can work for all of us in the future. So please do get involved, we're really looking forward to hearing from you.”

To take part visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/inclusive

There is an online survey, with an opportunity to respond to six planned action areas:
• Employment & Skills
• Building Better Places & Community Regeneration
• Protecting the Environment & Green Spaces
• Housing & Transport
• Business Best Practice and Support
• Anchor Institutions

The Council is working with key partners and to identify opportunities to improve existing services and new actions to take forward.

The engagement will continue with a conference at the Civic Hall in Ellesmere Port for stakeholders to share their thoughts on Cheshire West’s economy and to discuss opportunities to make it more inclusive.

This is a long-term vision for the borough. The conversation around an inclusive economy will not end with the closing of this engagement, there will be more opportunities to get involved in the future.

Action Areas:

Employment & Skills

‘We want everyone in west Cheshire to have access to the education and skills they need to fulfil their potential and to have the opportunity to access high-quality well-paid jobs.’

Unemployment in west Cheshire is lower than the UK average, but around 23 per cent of workers currently earn below the living wage. For certain groups, work pays less on average and is harder to find. There is a gender pay gap between men and women in full time work. Among working age residents with disabilities only 62 per cent are in employment.

By breaking down barriers to employment, all residents should have access to the right skills for the future, and local businesses will be able to recruit the employees they need. An Inclusive Economy will help to close gaps in employment opportunities and skills attainment, ensuring that everyone can play their part in a thriving economy.

Building Better Places & Community Regeneration

‘We will work with communities to ensure our main centres and least affluent neighbourhoods are developed in a way that improves places and links people to opportunities.’

The Covid-19 pandemic has served as a reminder that some areas are more disconnected from the quality of life and access to opportunity than the rest of the borough.

By working with residents, opportunities for regeneration can be identified. By designing services together, stronger communities can be built.
Protecting the Environment & Green Spaces

‘We will respond to the climate emergency by supporting businesses to cut emissions, promote green skills and jobs, and enhancing access to green spaces and locally produced food.’

West Cheshire is the 5th highest greenhouse gas-emitting local authority area in England, producing four million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The Council has plans for west Cheshire to be carbon neutral by 2045. Local industry is already working with leading experts and the public sector to deliver change, through projects such as the HyNet low carbon and hydrogen energy project.

West Cheshire is a rural borough with extensive ‘natural capital’ – including land, green spaces, trees and woodlands, wildlife and water. An Inclusive Economy will make the most of this natural capital to support the wellbeing of residents and the health of the environment.

Housing & Transport

‘We will continue to work towards good quality, affordable housing and improved public transport links. We will support health and environmental goals - for example through supporting walking and cycling, and insulating homes to reduce fuel poverty.’

Demand for housing in west Cheshire continues to outweigh supply. An Inclusive Economy will support growth in good quality local housing and seek an increase in affordable housing as part of that.

Residents shouldn’t be held back from education or employment opportunities by a lack of suitable transport. The new strategy should support residents to take low-carbon transport where possible.

Business Best Practice and Support

‘We will continue to support local business to thrive , encouraging residents to shop local and helping businesses with different ownership models get started and grow, all as part of an economy that creates and shares wealth and opportunity within our borough ’
West Cheshire is home to both world leading major businesses, in key sectors such as energy and advanced manufacturing, and a diverse range of small, locally based businesses, including new start-ups and independents.

The Inclusive Economy should be a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship across all communities. Recognising the benefits of generating locally owned community wealth, an Inclusive Economy can ensure that all support fully covers the needs of social enterprises.

Anchor Institutions

‘We will harness the influence of our major employers to support local people and strengthen local businesses, using their employment and buying power, the way they deliver services and use their assets to support community needs, and the way they take action on the climate emergency.’

An anchor institution is a large organisation or business within the borough that is fixed in place, employs many people, spends substantial amounts of money, owns and manages land and assets, and often delivers crucial activities such as healthcare, education or public services.

These anchors can support the success of smaller local businesses and social enterprises by enabling them to bid for more contract opportunities. This helps to build local wealth and enables enterprises to grow as money recirculates around the local economy rather than leaking out.