Sustainability
“Sustainability” is most often described as “Meeting the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs" (Brundtland
Commission report, 1987).
Achieving sustainability means ensuring a quality of life for
everyone, now and in generations to come by meeting social,
economic and environmental needs. It also involves thinking about
the impact our local actions have globally.
Sustainability in Cheshire East Council
Cheshire East Borough Council seeks to achieve
sustainability by seeking to follow the principles of:
- Living within environmental limits
- Achieving a sustainable economy
- Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society
In order to achieve sustainability it is crucial that we work in
partnership with others. For example, the Cheshire East Sustainable Community Strategy sets out a
vision for the area over the next 15 years.
Sustainability covers all areas of the Councils work. These
pages combine both information on the work of the Council and
other websites.
Climate Change and Securing Service Delivery
All local authorities are expected to provide leadership in
anticipating and dealing with extreme weather events and to make
plans to avoid or minimise threats on council services delivery.
The people most affected in times of extreme weather are the
vulnerable, young, infirm, immobile and those people in care.
Extremes of heat and cold are a concern but also high winds and
storms can disrupt the delivery of essential services.
Cheshire East Council has produced a Local Climate Impacts
Profile (LCLIP) report (PDF, 4.1 MB) which is the first step
towards identifying the potential threats. Service Plans will be
updated to include awareness of risk assessment and business
continuity planning; identifying high risk flood areas and
gathering information on the drainage network; as well as
communicating weather alerts quickly to the public.
Following the updated Service Plans the Council is required to
develop an Adaptation Strategy which will include other public
agencies and partners in order to provide sustainable service
delivery to the community. This strategy will be completed by March
2012 at which time it will become a public document.
Five Year Carbon Management Plan
Cheshire East Council has identified a programme of work that
will help to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce energy costs. During
the period from 2011 to 2016 a range of practical projects and an
embedding strategy has been developed to reduce energy consumption.
Supported by the Carbon Trust, the Carbon
Management Plan (PDF, 1.49 MB) was accepted and approved by
Cabinet on Monday 14th March. The Plan is closely related to the
development of the Adaptation Strategy work which describes how
carbon reduction will be an integral factor in decisions about
service delivery and working with partners to secure a sustainable
future for those who live, work and take leisure in the
Borough.
As part of our Carbon Management Programme we
have produced an Annual
Report (PDF 456 KB) to provide information on our progress in
reducing our emissions of CO2. There are a number of Appendices to
the report which provide more detailed information on the progress
of our projects to date
(Appendix A, PDF 386 KB), potential new projects we are
considering
(Appendix B, PDF 263 KB) and progress in embedding carbon
management within the Council
(Appendix C, PDF 354 KB) - this document is inaccessible
for people using assistive technology.
Our Greenhouse Gas
report (PDF, 243KB) shows our total Scope 1 and 2
emissions for the past 3 years. This shows the emissions of CO2
from our gas and electricity consumption in our Council buildings
as well as the fuel used in our Council vehicles.
