FI16191
Request
1. as the Council formally declared a “climate emergency” or otherwise adopted any Net Zero targets, climate change policies, environmental strategies, or sustainability frameworks over the past 5–6 years?
2. If yes, please provide:
a) The full date of the formal declaration or adoption.
b) The motion submitted to Council (or equivalent document), including all supporting material, officer recommendations, and external communications that accompanied that motion.
c) The vote record (individual or group vote tally) if one was taken.
3. What specific data, scientific evidence, or impact assessments were used to justify the Council’s declaration of a “climate emergency” or adoption of climate-related policies?
a) Please include any local CO2 data, pollution levels, or environmental health statistics supplied to councillors at the time of decision-making.
b) If no such data exists, please confirm this explicitly.
4. Has the Council received any guidance or instruction from the UK Government (e.g. DEFRA, DESNZ, DLUHC) or the Climate Change Committee regarding local authority obligations to declare an emergency or implement climate-related policy?
5. Have any third-party organisations, NGOs, activist groups, or stakeholder networks (e.g. UK100, Friends of the Earth, C40 Cities, etc.) been involved in the development or promotion of climate strategies within the Council?
a) Please list the organisations.
b) Provide any communications, funding arrangements, training sessions, or policy materials shared.
6. Was any formal public consultation undertaken specifically on the declaration of a climate emergency or the adoption of Net Zero policies?
a) If yes, please supply the dates, method, response data, and summary of outcomes.
b) If not, please confirm that no such consultation took place.
Response
1. Dover District Council declared a climate emergency in January 2020, the agenda and minutes can be found here: https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=122&MId=3176 and the paper here: https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/s34986/Agenda%20Page%20-%20Climate%20Change%20Emergency.pdf. The papers refers to the Cabinet agenda of 4 November 2019 and the report which can be found here: https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/s34036/Climate%20Change%20Report.pdf.
2. (a) 29 January 2020: https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/g3176/Printed%20minutes%2029th-Jan-2020%2018.00%20Council.pdf?T=1
(b) https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/s34036/Climate%20Change%20Report.pdf
(c) It was proposed by Councillor Bartlett and seconded by Councillor Mills and then adopted by Council. There was no vote taken. The Councillors in attendance can be found listed in the minutes at https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/g3176/Printed%20minutes%2029th-Jan-2020%2018.00%20Council.pdf?T=1.
3. (a) Please see appendix 1 on page 19 of the Climate Change Strategy Climate-Change-Strategy-January-2021-web.pdf
(b) https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/s34036/Climate%20Change%20Report.pdf
https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/10676/KES_Final.pdf
https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/205448/Kent-and-Medway-Energy-and-Low-Emissions-Strategy.pdf
https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/205463/Kent-and-Medway-Energy-and-Low-Emissions-Strategy-Evidence-Base.pdf
https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/205465/Kent-Emissions-Pathway-Report.pdf
https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/205464/Kent-Emissions-Pathway-Report-Executive-Summary.pdf
4. Please appendix 1 for government guidance or legislations Climate-Change-Strategy-January-2021-web.pdf
5. No.
6. No.