RICHMONDSHIRE District Council which declared a climate emergency last year says it has taken the first steps towards creating a carbon free authority ploughing £100,000 into creating a new job to help drive it forward.

The authority aims to have operations carbon zero by 2030 with plans to encourage the district as a whole to work in a more carbon neutral way.

Members of the Corporate Board have now approved allocating £100,000 to cover the cost of creating a new post to take forward the climate change agenda including a £20,000 operating budget. This could be a two year full time or a four year part-time post.

Corporate Director Callum McKeon said the authority has already set up a working group and meetings have been held with other partners to push forward the schemes.

These include the authority ploughing in cash towards the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North Pennines carbon sequestration project. Called the Tees Swale Project it will involve an ambitious scheme to restore nationally important but seriously degraded peatlands.

Mr McKeon said: "The aim is to provide the best quality, best connected upland peatland habitat in England. The positive impact of peatland restoration towards carbon sequestration cannot be underestimated.

"It provides a huge step towards the over arching aim both locally and nationally of becoming a carbon sink, that is absorbing more carbon than is released."

The authority has also been in talks with the Ministry of Defence, along with partners, over the proposed expansion of Catterick Garrison.

Mr McKeon added: "This is another project which will feature in the District Council’s carbon reduction plans as Officers have already had discussions with the MoD’s consultant teams about the potential for the new garrison to operate on a carbon neutral basis.

"The site is of such significance that representatives from the MoD team working on the environmental aspects of the project have participated in the Local Enterprise Partnership workshops to help form the aims and ambitions of the emerging Local Industrial Strategy.

"The opportunity to effectively plan a new settlement to be carbon neutral from the outset has been clearly identified and when this is coupled with the projects being undertaken by the National Park the importance of partnership working to help deliver bigger projects that deliver more in terms of outcomes cannot be overestimated."

As part of the climate emergency aims the authority has also been involved in a project to look into delivery of electric charging points. An initial approach as part of a North Yorkshire wide bid for £150,000 from the European Regional Development Fund was unsuccessful but officers said it did indicate the possibilities.

Staff are also looking at an action plan to eliminate the use of single use plastic within the Council.