Forewords

Gosport Borough Council has a vital and unique role in tackling climate change, due to its role as a local authority and its ability to enable and promote community action. Although we do not have control over the majority of emissions in the Borough we will enable, encourage and support action across Borough.

We recognise that climate change is real, that big change starts small and everyone can help to reduce emissions. We will work in partnership, engage with the community and collaborate to ensuring decisions on climate change are local, accessible to the community and protect the most vulnerable.

We are already working hard to rise to this challenge by reducing emissions from Council Operations and encouraging everyone to take action too. Recent progress includes using renewable electricity for our buildings, carrying out extensive tree planting, placing climate change at the centre of our draft Gosport Borough Local Plan 2038, helping establish Greening Campaigns across Gosport to help whole communities work together to become more sustainable, and creating the Gosport Climate Change Partnership.

However, we understand that our journey to a sustainable Borough still has a long way to go and the path to a sustainable Borough can also be a path to a healthier, prosperous, and more socially connected Borough.

This Strategy sets out Gosport's long term vision, driven by central policy, and how the Council will lead by example by reducing its own emissions and work with the community and in partnership to reduce emissions Borough-wide.

Councillor Zoe Huggins
Chair of the Climate Change Board

The senior management team at Gosport Borough Council recognises that the climate crisis requires urgent action throughout the Council. Meeting these aspirations will require a concerted and sustained effort across the whole Council. As Chief Executive, I am committed to driving this work forward, leading and supporting our officers to implement the changes necessary to deliver this Strategy.

David Williams
Chief Executive Officer

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