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Â鶹ÊÓƵ Leader, Councillor Tracey Dixon, has joined forces with political Leaders across the country in the fight against climate change.

The Leader of the Council has signed a pledge to accelerate the transition to Net Zero. UK100 brings together local authorities across the country to share knowledge, collaborate, and petition the UK government with their collective power.

In her pledge the Leader of the council has committed to:

• Set ambitious Net Zero targets for carbon emission reductions by 2030 for council operations and strive towards areawide carbon emission reductions by 2045. 
• Report carbon emissions annually from 2022 onwards, for scope 1 and scope 2, for council emissions and areawide emissions.
• Commit to limiting the use of carbon offsets, and if used, to be as local as possible.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of Â鶹ÊÓƵ said; "This isn't about talk, its about action. Its about leading on the issues that we can directly affect and using our collective power to bring about national policy change.

"We've already set ourselves ambitious targets as a council and we are delivering on those. Our next challenge is to work in partnership across the borough and beyond. The most significant changes need national policy change and significant investment from central government. By working together as UK100 we can hopefully make a real difference on bringing forward those big national policy changes we are so desperate to see."

UK100 is a network of highly ambitious local government leaders, which seeks to devise and implement plans for the transition to clean energy that are ambitious, cost effective and take the public and business with them.

They are working together to create flourishing communities - seizing the opportunities of technology to create jobs and establishing a nationwide project of renewal, focussed on local needs and ambitions.

It is the only network for UK local leaders focused solely on climate, clean energy and clean air policy.

Cllr Dixon added: "Signing this pledge is not just good for the planet but for the people of South Tyneside, who deserve warm homes, affordable energy, clean air, local and seasonal food, access to thriving nature and healthy landscapes, and to live in a place we can all be proud of.

"Local authorities across the country are leading the fight against climate change in our communities, we now need national policy change to help us go further and bring others on the journey with us"

The pledge is in line with the Council's existing Sustainable South Tyneside strategy /article/69717/Climate-change-strategy-and-action-plan

Â鶹ÊÓƵ declared a climate emergency in July 2019 pledging to take all necessary steps to become carbon neutral by 2030. It also set a three-year target to cut carbon emissions by 4,285 tonnes by March 2023 and is already two thirds of the way to achieving this figure.

Christopher Hammond, Network Membership Director at UK100, said: "We're thrilled to welcome Cllr Tracey Dixon to UK100's network of highly ambitious local government leaders that are committed to a Net Zero transition.

"The fundamental challenge of our time is moving towards Net Zero emissions to preserve our way of life and avert climate breakdown. It's a task that will need bold leadership, legislative clarity, shifts in behaviour and enthusiastic adoption of new technologies.

"Local Government is uniquely placed to overcome these challenges. Not only do they provide services, but they have a unique sphere of influence. Fantastic things are already happening in county, city, town and village halls across the country. Making their communities fairer, safer and greener.

"By joining UK100 and committing to bold targets, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has demonstrated that it is facing these challenges and playing a decisive role in tackling climate change ahead of the National Government's target."