At a meeting of North Somerset Council last night I proposed a motion to switch all Council energy contracts to green tariffs, saving over 3,500 tonnes of carbon a year.

In 2019 Councillors voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency here in North Somerset. The councils energy contracts have been fixed for a number of years but from September this year are up for renewal. I was pleased that the motion was passed and North Somerset Council will now transition to green tariffs. This move is expected to reduce the councils carbon emissions by 3,500 tonnes per annum. 

The other major concern raised by Councillors and residents was the need to avoid buying gas from Russia. Although most of the councils energy use is electric a small proportion of consumption does relates to gas. We have already made contact with likely energy suppliers but it seems they are having difficulty guaranteeing zero percent Russian gas. I will continue to monitor the situation. The view from residents is clear: no taxpayer money to be spent on Russian gas.