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Teignbridge District Council has declared a climate emergency – and will aim to be carbon neutral by 2025.

There was unanimity across the council chamber on Thursday morning as the council pledged to do what they can to tackle global warming and become carbon neutral.

And the move even saw some councillors reconsidering future holiday plans after being left feeling guilty about flying off to the Caribbean just to enjoy themselves.

No specific action as to how to achieve it has yet been agreed, but a task group, that will include the community, businesses and schools, is to be formed and to report back in six months outlining how the council will address the climate emergency.

Cllr Jackie Hook, who proposed the motion, said that climate change is the biggest threat facing the world today. She called on the council to be bold, declare a climate emergency, aim to be carbon neutral, and work towards a set of actions and report back in six months’ time.

She called for the council to discuss the motion on the day, rather than referring it to the executive, as the constitution outlines, saying: “This is an emergency so you debate emergencies when they happen.

“I don’t want to delay the actions any longer than necessary, but we need to get the right people in the room from businesses and communities and schools and then suggest actions so we can get this right.”

Almost the entire council agreed to debate the motion on the day, which drew cheers from the extinction rebellion campaigners in the public gallery.

Cllr Jeremy Christophers, leader of the council, said that a six month period may seem like a long time, but that in order to get the right plan in place, they need to get the right evidence. He said: “We want people to throw ideas in so we can distil a plan for Teignbridge and lead with our actions. We are very committed to it and want people to follow us.”

Cllr Tim Golder, the portfolio holder for economy and skills, said the council had taken a proactive approach already to reducing energy consumption, using renewable sources and tackling environmental issues.

He said that solar panels had been installed at the Market Walk shopping centre in Newton Abbot and at the business centre, in Heathfield, and in the current year, the heating system in Forde House will be improved, electric car charging points will be installed and a consultation will take place on an electric vehicle and ultra-low emission policy.

But he added: “We are sure there is more we can do, but the situation is not unique to us and needs a wider approach and working us. There are questions to consider but I hope we can address this with the urgency that it deserves.”

(Image: Ana Gonzalez Puig, Pyramid Photography)

He said he was happy to second the motion, but proposed changing the target carbon neutral date from 2030 to 2025.

Cllr Rosalind Prowse said that she was proud of the actions the council had taken so far, but they needed to move forward fast as ‘we are threatening our planet’. She called for a cross-party working party to be formed and that schoolchildren needed to be involved as they are the future.

Cllr Gordon Hook, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: “We are custodians of the planet and have a responsibility to protect it,” Cllr Martin Wrigley said that this issue had to be at the forefront of any actions that we take, while Cllr Dennis Smith said that if the small rural Broadhempston parish council has declared a climate emergency, then there no reason why Teignbridge cannot.

Councillors also said that everyone should start thinking about their own actions, which some expressing regret about recent holidays they had taken.

Cllr Humphrey Clemens said it was ridiculous that as a nation we import food from all over the world and implored shoppers that if they see something not produced in the country and out of season then put it back.

Cllr Chris Clarance said that he felt a bit guilty listening to the debate as he had just been on holiday on an aircraft and came back from the Caribbean a cruise liner. He said: “It made me think if I am doing the right thing or setting the right example as all those fossil fuels were being used just so we could enjoy ourselves.”

And Cllr Alan Connett said that while when he had his stag do, what he can remember of it, he went to a lot of pubs, people these days seem to fly to places like Prague as a standard expectation, and that something was wrong when it was cheaper to fly away to the sunshine then get a train to Bristol.

He also slammed scale developers for not building ‘future proofed homes’ and called for them to play a bigger role in building homes that will help protect the planet.

The council unanimously agreed to declare a climate emergency, do what they can to make the council carbon neutral by 2025, calls on Westminster to provide the powers and resources necessary, investigate all sources of external and match funding to support the commitment, and to report back within six months with an action plan outlining how the council will address the emergency.