In 2008, Gloucestershire County Council commissioned CAG Consultants to develop an integrated climate change strategy and action plan. The Council was working to improve the resilience of communities to flooding and heat waves, and had made significant efforts to put its own house in order through awareness raising, participation in the Local Authority Carbon Management Programme, and improving energy and resource efficiency across the council’s buildings and schools.

Climate change involvement

CAG Consultants brought together these actions under one action plan, and, through desk research, interviews with council officers and stakeholders and an interactive workshop, developed a strategy to take forward the Council’s action on climate change. The strategy supported Gloucestershire County Council’s vision that by 2020, climate change will be integral to decisions about how it delivers its services, and in its work with partners to secure the future of Gloucestershire, the region and beyond.

The strategy and action plan identified priorities and detailed actions across each council directorate to help the Council become an ‘excellent’ council in mitigating climate change, and to reach Level 3 in line with National Indicator 188: Planning to adapt to climate change by 2012.

Key outputs

The Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan have now been adopted by the Council and have led to work with managers across the Council to understand vulnerability and resilience to climate change. The County Council is also leading a group, including all 7 district authorities, the university and Primary Care Trust to reduce public sector emissions.