Green Party Town Council Candidates make the following commitments:
1. Vision and commitment
- Recognise the urgency of the climate crisis and commit to bold action in raising public awareness and driving a rapid transition to achieve a net-zero economy.
- Support adaptation efforts to protect communities from extreme weather, ensuring a thriving, resilient, climate-ready Harrogate with all the benefits that brings.
2. Visionary long-term planning
- Ensure that the Harrogate Neighbourhood Plan and North Yorkshire Local Plan work together to drive sustainability – prioritising key areas: clean energy, sustainable transport and energy-efficient buildings enabling people to thrive
3. Warm homes
- Recognise that national programmes to upgrade housing to be more energy-efficient and cheaper to run will ignore 90% of households . We need to support homeowners to upgrade their homes by equipping construction professionals and building consumer confidence to stimulate demand and help drive investment in energy-efficient homes.
4. Cleaner, cheaper, homegrown energy
- Back community-led initiatives for affordable, renewable energy to reduce our local reliance on fossil fuels, thereby reducing energy costs for homes and businesses and strengthening energy security and aligning with national clean energy targets
5. Rethinking travel and transport
- Prioritise active travel, shared and sustainable transport to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and ensure accessible, affordable mobility to create a cleaner, fairer, integrated, low-carbon transport system for all.
6. Upskilling for a low carbon economy
- Invest in training and education to prepare people for a changing climate, ensuring we all have the appropriate skills to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure while navigating the energy transition, and equipping the next generation for a new, greener economy.
Our asks of newly elected councillors
As the newly elected council structures itself, we urge Councillors to prioritise these actions for a thriving, climate-resilient town. Within your first 100 days, we ask you to commit to:
1. Carbon Literacy Training for all; ensuring all Councillors are offered, and all new employees receive, this training as part of their induction to help them make informed decisions on climate action, ensuring policies and investments support a sustainable future based on scientifically backed evidence, and up-to-date information.
- Why? A well-informed team is key to effective climate action and ensuring everyone is ready to support its delivery.
2. A new Harrogate Town Plan that prioritises climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure and enables a transport system that improves access for all.
- Why? A well-designed plan isn’t just about the environment – it’s about making Harrogate a better place to live, work, and travel for everyone. That means protecting the community from extreme weather and future climate impacts. It will create a healthier, more accessible town and, by aligning local action with regional and national strategies, ensures a coordinated and effective approach to climate resilience.
3. Accelerating Net Zero: taking decisive action to make Harrogate climate-ready, fast-tracking policies and initiatives that cut emissions, improve energy efficiency, and build a thriving, low-carbon economy.
- Why? Fast-tracking emissions cuts improves public health, lowers energy costs, enhances energy security, and drives local economic growth by positioning Harrogate as a leader in the low-carbon economy.
4. Seek to build consensus: help unite the community around sustainable policies by supporting a Citizens’ Assembly.
- Why? Engaging residents in thoughtful discussions on climate mitigation and adaptation will lead to stronger, widely supported solutions that maximise overall value for money and deliver to timescale and to budget.
Strong, enabling leadership now will shape a thriving, climate-ready Harrogate for generations to come. We urge you to take the lead.
Promoted by Ian Charters (Harrogate and District Green Party) at Thornbury House Knaresborough HG5 8JY