Climate Emergency

The Council is committed to making changes across all our services to play our part to tackle the Climate Emergency and it is one of the Council’s seven key priorities, as set out in our Stronger Futures plan.

The objectives that underpin this priority include:

• Reducing the carbon footprint of the Council

• Support the decarbonisation of energy, industry and business

• Improve sustainable transport and infrastructure

• Enable low carbon buildings, homes and development

• Enhancing green spaces

• Reduce waste and increase recycling

As an organisation we have a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and are leading by example to help the borough to be carbon neutral by 2045.

Below are some examples of the work we’ve done so far to help achieve this

Cheshire and Warrington will drive towards becoming the UK's healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and fastest-growing region by 2045, following approval of an ambitious economic strategy by the area's Combined Authority Shadow Board.

The board has backed the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy (SIES), a blueprint to deliver the highest rate of economic and productivity growth in the north, slash carbon emissions by 4.5 million tonnes annually by 2030, and expand access to transport, digital infrastructure and quality housing while reducing poverty.

The strategy harnesses the region's existing economic firepower—nearly one million residents and over 41,000 businesses including national strengths in clean energy, life sciences and advanced manufacturing—to accelerate clean energy leadership, restore nature, and create opportunities for all.

Councillor Nick Mannion, Deputy Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Shadow Board and Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "We're building from a position of strength, with productivity already outpacing the rest of the North West and the national average. Devolution gives us the tools to turn that advantage into transformational growth, with more local control over the decisions that shape our communities' futures in both rural and urban areas."

The strategy arrives as the region prepares to establish a Mayoral Combined Authority in early 2026, unlocking at least £650 million in funding over 30 years and transferring key powers over transport, economy and skills from Whitehall to local leaders. Residents will elect their first Mayor in May 2027.

Developed through summer consultation and backed by expert analysis, the 81-page blueprint maps how regional leaders will partner with government and business to deliver the vision.

Read the SIES report in full HERE.

For more information about the Cheshire and Warrington devolution programme, visit cheshireandwarringtondevolution.com.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has extended the latest Cheshire West Crowd funding round, with funding available for community projects across west Cheshire.

Run by the Council in partnership with Spacehive, the Cheshire West Crowd enables community-led projects to bring ideas to life, making the borough more vibrant, resilient and connected.

Two Council funding pots in this latest funding round still have funds available. The Community Innovation Fund has just over £58,000 remaining, and the Climate Change Emergency Fund – £42,000 remaining. The average pledge by Cheshire West and Chester Council to successful projects, to date, has been 50% of their funding target (in the region of £5,000 to £10,000).

Since the Cheshire West Crowd first launched in 2021, 192 community led projects have successfully raised £2.8 million funding, enjoying the support of almost 10,558 backers.

Councillor Paul Donovan, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Workforce and Communities, said: “We’re delighted to be able to extend the latest funding round, pledging more funds to community projects.

“The Cheshire West Crowd has been very successful, making a real difference to community led projects and the people they support.

“The platform is easy to use and this type of crowdfunding is flexible as not only can projects pitch to the Council for funds, but they can also call on the support of their own community and generate real community spirit.

“I’d encourage anyone with an idea about how we can make west Cheshire a better place for people to live to use the Cheshire West Crowd.”

An average campaign funding target is £10,000. Larger crowdfunding campaigns can be successful if they have pre-campaign funding in place and a strong campaign plan and if project creators have considered and applied for multiple sources of funding.

Cllr Donovan added: “You can create a project easily, with plenty of support available from Spacehive and the Council’s Communities team on your crowdfunding journey.”

An on-line workshop will be held on 2 December at 12 noon providing an opportunity for would-be project creators to hear more about the Cheshire West Crowd and how community led projects have benefitted from the initiative in the past. To register for the workshop, use the link below:

Cheshire West and Chester Autumn 2025 - Project Creator Workshop Tickets, Tuesday 2 December 2025 at 12 noon | Eventbrite

For the Climate Change Emergency Fund, projects are encouraged to email: climatechange3@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. You’ll then be able to discuss your potential project with the Council’s Climate Change Emergency team so you can tailor it and improve the likelihood of receiving the Council’s support through this fund. Previous projects have included the installation of solar panels, LED lights and insulation.

The deadline for projects to be verified by Spacehive and live on the Cheshire West Crowd, which also includes pitching for Council funds, is Wednesday 29 January 2026.

Funding panels will take place early in March 2026, and projects should aim to hit their crowdfunding targets in April 2026.

The Council are soon to invite a small number of companies to bid for the next waste treatment contract. The winning bidder will be responsible for treating the waste that residents put in their black bin.

The contract is worth over £8 million pounds a year and will run for at least seven years. All bids the Council will consider must demonstrate how their organisation will enhance social value in the local area. In line with the Council’s 10-year waste management strategy, bidders will be encouraged to support community led initiatives across west Cheshire.

The Council intend to signpost bidders towards local projects that need financial support or other resources, such as advice.

If you are part of a local group, school project, CIC or registered charity, you are invited to submit your “ask” to the Council for inclusion in the information we provide bidders. This does not guarantee that you will be selected by the bidders, but it gives you an opportunity to showcase your project and explain what community and environmental benefits your project delivers in the local area. Bidders may then contact you if they would like to support your project as part of their tender submission.

The contract starts in April 2027, so any support would only be provided by the winning bidder after this date. Bidders will be keen to show they would like to make a difference during the life of the contract.

Examples of projects that could be supported include: Repair services and repair skills development / re-use / upcycling / training for food waste reduction initiatives / home compost initiatives / loan of equipment (library of things) / reduction of single use plastic. This list is not exhaustive and wider environmental projects, including those involved in developing skills, training and employment opportunities/ helping to improve well-being / social integration can be included in the signposting document.

Your submission should be no more than 500 words and may include links to your website or supporting documents. You should outline the type of support your project needs, and the expected duration of the project, as well as highlight the objectives and expected outputs.

Your submission must include the contact details the bidders may use to find out more about your project.

Please submit your information by 24 November to: serviceliaisonteam@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Please use the email title: Waste Treatment Social Value Signposting [name of project]

Leaders from across the public, private and third sectors came together earlier this week to explore how nature-based solutions, community spirit and innovation is helping west Cheshire become a net-zero borough and is building a greener, fairer future for all.

The West Cheshire Action on Climate and Nature event, hosted and funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council and Chester Zoo, took place on Monday 3 November, at the start of Green Careers Week - a national event that highlights the opportunities for young people to have a career that can make a difference by helping to preserve or restore the environment and the planet.

Members of the Chester Zoo Youth Board and Cheshire West's Youth Panel join Cllr Louise Gittins, Eunice Simmons from the University of Chester and Steve Illidge and Kirsten Pullen from Chester Zoo at the event

Young people from Chester Zoo’s Youth Board and Cheshire West's Youth Senate led a panel discussion about green skills, discussing how young people can get involved in conservation or climate action and take their first steps into careers in these fields.

The event also provided an opportunity to highlight a range of projects already making a difference to address the climate and nature emergency in the area. From Chester Zoo’s Networks for Nature partnership, which is driving nature recovery across 60 square miles in the area, to a green skills project that will upskill clean energy sector workers.

The latest Climate Emergency Response Plan for the borough was also launched by the Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Councillor Louise Gittins, at the event. The plan sets out how greenhouse gases can be reduced in the borough, how the area can adapt to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity can be improved for the benefit of people and nature.

The borough wide plan includes a series of actions, split across six different themes, setting out how the Council will achieve its goals. This includes both the direct actions that the Council will take within its services, and the areas where the Council will seek to work with residents, businesses, stakeholders and government to influence the wider state of the borough.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “This event was about turning ambition into action. Celebrating the steps already taken in the borough to tackle the climate and nature emergencies and highlighting the opportunities to collaborate further to create green growth, job opportunities for local people and a borough where nature can thrive.

“As a borough we’ve already made good strides on our journey to become net zero by 2045. The key to this success is collaboration and innovation, with a wide range of partners, businesses, local organisations and communities working together to create a greener, healthier place for us, and future generations, to enjoy.”

Panel discussion about nature recovery

Chief Conservation Officer and Deputy CEO at Chester Zoo, Kirsten Pullen, said:

“Chester Zoo was proud to host, and co-launch, the Climate Emergency Response Plan alongside Cheshire West and Chester Council as meaningful action on climate change and biodiversity loss cannot happen in isolation.

“The event isn’t just about unveiling a document - it’s about reaffirming our shared commitment to save biodiversity, prevent extinction of species and encourage habitat growth. We can’t save a species without looking at the impact of climate change, and this plan gives us a blueprint on meaningful action for wildlife and climate change - and real hope for the future.

“We’re pleased with the plan’s commitment to species recovery, increasing biodiversity, improving access to nature, and restoring habitats, all of which supports our conservation charity’s mission to prevent extinction.”

A summary version of the West Cheshire Climate Emergency Response Plan can be viewed online: westcheshireclimateplan.co.uk

Residents, community groups and local businesses taking action to address the climate and nature emergencies are encouraged to add their stories to the Climate Emergency Inspire Hub: cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/tackleclimate

Background

Ash Tree Day Nursery, run by Chestnut Nursery, is a premier childcare facility situated in the heart of the Blacon community. Offering full and part-time nursery places, pre-school, after-school club and holiday club services for children aged 0 to 11 years, Ash Tree provides comprehensive childcare solutions to meet the diverse needs of local families. As childcare providers, they are continuously looking at the future and the impact humanity is having on our planet. By reducing emissions, they hope to set an example for others to follow.

Support

Groundwork, a charity that support local communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience, was appointed as the delivery partner for Cheshire West and Chester's UKSPF grant programme. The UKSPF programme provided Chestnut Nursery with a decarbonisation grant which was matched funded by the business. Groundwork assisted the business with their grant application process, including:

• Visiting the site to review all their energy consumption measures, specifically electricity.
• Calculating their carbon emissions and undertaking a cost/benefit analysis for solar panels
• Developing an action plan and business case for investment

Outcomes

As a result of our support, Chestnut Nursery was able to install solar panels on their roof, offsetting all of their electricity consumption for the three sites in Blacon and Saughall, saving them £29,670 in cost savings and 13 tCO2e in carbon savings.

Solar panels on the roof of the nursery

Jason, from Chestnut Nursery, said: “We are now producing enough electricity to offset the consumption of all three of our settings in Blacon and Saughall. Without your assistance and the grant money made available by Cheshire West via Groundwork, we would never have made it to this point.”

To read more case studies from local businesses who have been supported with decarbonisation projects, please visit Groundwork’s website.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has a strong background in woodland establishment, tree planting and habitat creation and continue to be a strategic partner of The Mersey Forest, Cheshire and Merseyside’s Community Forest.

Over the last four years, new woodlands have been created across three sites in the borough, in Wervin, Picton and at Grange Farm, thanks to funding through the national Trees for Climate programme, helping to boost biodiversity and contributing to Cheshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The trees at Grange Farm site are growing well, despite the dry summer

This winter, four sites will begin to be planted on Council owned land, with an estimated 200,000 trees going in the ground for phase one. A site in Picton, next to the M53, will include riparian planting along a brook on the site, plus a series of natural flood management interventions, which will decrease the risk of flooding on the site and in the wider catchment.

There will also be innovative tree conservation projects on sections of this site, with Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood under threat from wildfires in its native America, and the native Common Ash resilience program - using natural colonisation to select specimens resilient to Ash Die Back. The aim is to preserve two species from disease and climate change (1 in 3 tree species is under threat of extinction - BBC 2023). The Picton site when planted will also help with noise and traffic pollution in the area as it matures.

The new woodlands are part of a strategy to create a ‘safe space for nature’, incorporating a wide range of complimentary habitats such as wetlands and bodies of water (ponds, ephemeral ponds and scrapes), grassland and wood pasture with a diverse species of flora, hedgerows and protection of veteran/aging trees.

Existing woodlands have been incorporated within the designs and will be managed for disease and climate resilience using established silvicultural systems. The combination of the diverse habitats and ecotones will maximise opportunities for flora and fauna to occupy, flourish and disperse along habitat corridors.

A system of monitoring species, changes in floristic composition, invertebrates, bird populations and mammals is established and is part of the Biodiversity Net Gain Habitat Monitoring and Management Plan. All woodlands and forests created are also registered to be part of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

• Carbon Sequestration

The woodlands are part of the Cheshire West and Chester Council's climate strategy and the combined areas will sequester approximately 76,000 tonnes of carbon by year 30.

• Linking people with nature

Linking people with nature is an important part of aim of the woodland creation. The sites have an all-year program of volunteering and educational opportunities that allow volunteers to enhance and maintain the woodlands and be part of species monitoring. The sites are being assessed Forestry and Ecological training.

• Sustainable silviculture

The woodlands are managed by a continuous cover silvicultural system with small parcels of high quality of timber and forest products. By selective felling and long-term rotations (60 -100 years) within sub compartments and combined with a 15-year coppice regime, the woodland will provide revenue for management. The silvicultural system used will eventually create a diverse age and canopy structure vital to support biodiversity across the sites. The forest designs have been carefully considered to be able to respond to future tree diseases and climate threats, allowing species changes without compromising the woodland as a whole.

Funding for housing retrofit to support the Council’s vision and ambitions in the housing section of the borough's Climate Emergency Response Plan is a significant challenge. The Council has been successful in applying for various rounds of national funding for housing retrofit in the borough, helping to support our decarbonisation ambitions and improving the energy efficiency of homes for our residents.

In 2022, the Council and Sanctuary Housing received a grant of £596,000 from DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) to carry out retrofit improvements to housing stock in Blacon, Chester. Working in partnership (with additional funding from Sanctuary) the scheme delivered retrofit improvements to 123 homes in Blacon with various energy saving measures incorporated. The improvements made to the homes included the installation of Solar PV systems, air source heat pumps and external wall insulation.

The scheme was praised by DESNZ for the way that the partners worked with the community to encourage and support residents to have retrofit measures in their homes. Residents attended community sessions held by the contractors managing the works and additional quality assurance checks on site gave them confidence in the works. The contractors tried to be as quick and efficient as possible in the homes and received praise from residents for their quick response and professional attitude.

Schools across west Cheshire are making the most of free Bikeability training to ensure their pupils have the skills to get on their bikes and cycle to and from school.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Road Safety team works closely with Bike Right to ensure everyone has the training they need to take to pedal power.

Schools in the borough can request free Bikeability training to levels 1, 2 and 3 as well as Bikeability Plus Balance and Learn to Ride. To enquire about or book training in your school, please contact Bike Right.

Pupils at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School completed their Bikeability training in September 2025. This video explains what is covered in the training.

Adult and Family Training

If you live, work or study in Cheshire West and Chester, and are aged 18 or over, Adult Cycling Training is available. You can get tailored training at a level suited to your needs, all based on the National Cycle Training Standards and split into easy to understand modules.

Family Cycle Skills is a free, fun training package to help people cycle together. The training will enable families to plan enjoyable group rides, switch from driving to cycling the school run, help other family members to develop their cycling skills and grow their confidence.

Sessions can be up to six people and there needs to be at least one child and one adult on each session. For more details and to book a place visit Family Cycle Skills (bikeright.co.uk).

The Council is supportive of local reuse initiatives, which play a key part in helping to deliver on the aims of our ten year waste strategy and our Climate Emergency Response Plan.

Repair cafés are one of the local community initiatives that are playing their part to create a circular economy, repairing items to keep them in use for longer, rather than discarding them.

Their popularity has grown in recent years, with more TV programmes showing ways people can repair much loved items for them to continue to use and treasure.

By encouraging residents to extend the life of their possessions, repair cafés reduce the demand for new products and minimises environmental impact.

There are now several repair cafés hosted on a regular basis across the borough. These include:

• Tattenhall Repair Café
• Chester Repair Café
• Helsby Repair Café

They are all run by groups of volunteers and can often help repair a wide range of items from bikes, clothing and wooden items to kitchen appliances, mobile phones and laptops.

The social side of the repair cafés also plays an important role in the circular economy model, providing a place for knowledge sharing and collaboration, and a space for the community to come together to play their part to create greener, thriving neighbourhoods.

Two of the local repair cafés have been able to get up and running thanks to funding through the Cheshire West Crowd, a platform that helps community groups and local organisations to create, fund and deliver their project ideas, with funding from the Council contributing to their success.

Watch the video below about the Tattenhall Repair Café.