By Stephen Scoffham, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Biodiversity
Climate, environment and biodiversity intersects with just about everything the
council does but, unlike statutory services like housing, transport and waste
collection, these aren’t traditional areas for local authorities. Furthermore, most
measures relating to climate change, carbon reduction and wildlife are beyond the
direct remit of the Council. This means that supporting local groups and encouraging
their endeavours becomes a high priority.
It has been really heartening to meet so many committed people who really want to
make a difference. I have had lots of fascinating conversations and learnt so much
in the process. At the same time, I have had to resist the pressure to deliver other
people’s projects!
It was lucky that within a few months of taking up my cabinet post in May 2023 I
learnt that the team from the Kent North Downs AONB (now the National Landscape)
were involved in a bid to UNESCO for a Cross Channel Geopark. This will focus on
the unique chalk habitat which is so much a feature of the downland areas in both
Kent and Northern France. The council passed a motion I devised expressing full
support and a willingness to promote the bid in whatever way is within its means.
The caveat of doing what we can ‘within our means’ has indeed been the leitmotif of
my time in the cabinet so far. Local government is starved of finance and we
inherited very considerable financial challenges. Balancing the books has been
absolutely essential and finding a way to unlock funds a real challenge.
There is, however, some good news to report. Firstly, we have been revising the
Corporate Plan. This has taken the best part of a year but the work is nearly
complete. The revised plan has a clear environmental focus and is structured around
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The plan spells how the Council
is going to focus its activities and spend its money in the future, so it really matters.
The strap line ‘Our District Our World’ which is based on the slogan ‘Think global, act
local’, encapsulates a vision which will serve us well.
Another pieces of good news is the council’s Green Grants scheme. This will provide
funding for projects which develop social cohesion, promote climate resilience and
enhance nature and wildlife. Local groups and organisations including schools,
charities and local parish and town councils will be able to apply for grants. The fact
that these projects come from the local community will ensure they become reality.
Whether it is by working with school children, planting trees or reducing carbon
emissions, the council has a meaningful role to play in responding to environmental
issues. Council staff have been excellent in responding to this agenda and bringing it
to life. We may all wonder what impact we can have at a global level but we can
certainly see that we make a difference locally and I can’t wait to see how our plans unfold.
Once this district becomes part of a larger unitary authority under the
government’s reorganisation plans there may be even more scope for action.
When I was elected as a ward councillor for North Downs East, I had no idea what I
was letting myself in for. However, when we formed a minority administration and
there were lots of cabinet positions to be filled I was delighted to bring my career
interest in sustainability and education to bear and to find myself in a position to put
ideas into practice. Nearly two years later, that’s exactly what we are doing.
Councillor Stephen Scoffham: Working with the community to promote and protect nature
