Organisations will be on hand to provide residents with information, advice and support to help heat their homes, eat cheap healthy food and access affordable transport solutions.

The event, hosted by Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership (RCAP), will be held 10am to 3pm, 1st July, at The Garden Rooms, Tennants, Leyburn.

A broad range of local authority, charitable and private sector organisations will be able to explain how to access food bank and food share schemes, and how to economise on energy costs. Alternative options for organising travel including car share, e-scooter, and public transport will also be showcased. Advice on community food schemes and community energy projects may be of interest to residents or parish councils, as will information about grants that are available for transition to renewable energy.

Organisers are still confirming a rolling programme of short presentations by participating organisations, which will be complemented by a range of stalls manned by expert advisors.

Mike Sparrow, deputy chair of RCAP, said: “At a time when energy and food costs are rising exponentially it is important that our community has visibility of, and access to, expertise that can help mitigate some of the cost-of-living pressure everyone is feeling. For some this may mean practical financial help, for others it could be finding ways to eat cheaper or getting advice on how to start growing your own food. Alternatively, community groups may want to learn more about how to set up a community garden or a renewable energy scheme. Whatever the need, it’s clear that sharing knowledge and helping each other is going to become increasingly important.

“By bringing together a broad range of expertise we hope to provide residents with access to useful resources and raise the profile of local organisations that can provide people with help where needed. We hope as many people as possible will take advantage and come along to this extremely valuable and informative free admission event.”

Two thirds of the candidates standing in Richmondshire divisions of the North Yorkshire Council elections responded to our recent survey.

Three Conservative party candidates and two independent candidates did not reply, and two candidates declined the invitation to complete the survey.

The content of the 14 responses received are summarised  below.

1. What do you think of the existing North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council climate change commitments and targets? 

There is general support for the local authorities' climate change commitments and targets. Views are mixed though on whether they are achievable and go far enough, and whether there is enough being done to ensure that the commitments are honoured and the targets met. 

2. What do you think the top climate action priorities of the new Council should be?

Actions to tackle both the greenhouse gas emisssions of the Council and those of the wider community were cited. 

Making more buildings environmentally friendly was the most popular, particularly improving domestic insulation, installing heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, and reducing the carbon footprint of Council  buildings, such as schools. 

The need to deliver green energy projects, such as wind, solar and hydro power, and to implement a good network of public transport, and cycling and walking routes to reduce car travel were also prioritised by several. 

The fundamentals of reducing energy and water consumption, reducing use, re-using materials and increasing recycling rates were also mentioned and priorities around land management, such as improving biodiversity and sustainable agriculture were also mentioned. 

3. Which statement below best describes how you feel about action on climate change in the context of all that the new North Yorkshire Council will have to do?                                                                                                      a. All service design and budget decisions should help and not hinder the transition to net zero carbon emissions across North Yorkshire.                                                                                                                                       

b. The impact of service delivery and budget decisions on climate change should only be considered where it does not entail excessive cost.                                                                                                                            c. The need to keep costs to a minimum means that climate change should be a secondary consideration in making decisions on service delivery and budgets. 

Thirteen (93%) answered response a), one answered response b).

A clear majority of candidates generally feel that  all service design and budget decisions should help and not hinder the transition to net zero carbon emissions across North Yorkshire. Tom Jones (Conservative, Scotton and Lower Wensleydale) chose the option that limits climate change action to that not entailing excessive cost.

4. If elected, what one thing do you personally want to achieve in the Richmondshire area to tackle climate change? 

Four responses were concerned with transport, including improving public transport, installing a full network of electirc vehicle charging points, purchasing appropriate low emission waste collection vehicles, and funding cycleways outside the larger urban areas. 

Three responses were around reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, by enabling and funding improvements. 

One response was to manage road verges for hay and wildflowers, and another to deliver greener power sources.

5. If elected, would you support a minimum commitment to convert all council owned and council contracted vehicles to Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles and Zero Emission Vehicles, and provide associated recharging and refuelling infrastructure? 

Thirteen candidates (92%) supported this, one Tom Jones (Conservative, Scotton and Lower Wensleydale) did not.

6. If elected, would you support the early adoption of local plan policies and the introduction of incentives to ensure all new development and changes to existing buildings help the Richmondshire area to transition to net zero carbon emissions? 

Unanimous support.

7. What more do you think the new Council could do to help local residents, businesses and visitors to reduce their waste and to recycle the waste that they cannot avoid generating? 

Several candidates suggested providing more information to residents, businesses and visitors, and to make it as easy as possible for everyone to recycle, e.g. advertising Council and non Council recycling facilities, providing recycling collections including food waste from homes and holiday homes, and periodic mobile skips across the rural areasfor larger items. 

Others mentioned tackling waste at source, e.g. by engaging with retailers and packaging companies.

The Council could illustrate more clearly how much the disposal of waste costs the individual, and learn from the waste collection best practice of Districts. 

8. If elected, what changes do you believe are needed over the next 5 years to the use and management of our rural landscape to best address climate change?

The two most common interrelated themes were incentivising the farming community to farm at a lower intensity and to support greater biodiversity, e.g. fewer animals, more organic crops, giving marginal areas over to rewilding and woodland, and protecting natural features such as peat bogs, woods, hedgerows and wildflower meadows. 

Specifics mentions were given to cleaning up waterways, protecting the National Park, limiting  building on greenfield sites and ending heather burning on the moors. Delivery of new power sources, where appropriate and flood mitigation measures were also mentioned as needed.

9. And finally, in a single sentence, what would you like local people to know about your stance and commitment to taking action on climate change?

Parsons: Climate change is the most urgent threat to our planet and I believe that we can solve it by taking action as communities and helping others to understand the importance of this issue. 

Lowndes: I believe that addressing climate change is not an option and that all decisions should be made with that essential premise in mind. 

Rowe: I am committed to the cause of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Climate change is the number one danger to our survival as a species and the survival of our planet. 

Jones: The core of Conservative philosophy and of the case for protecting the environment are the same - no generation has a freehold on this earth. 

Wicks: As Chair of the RDC Climate Action Working Group, I have led the Council's efforts on climate change. If elected, I would continue this leadership role. 

Kirkwood: Our food production, transport, and housing are the central issues now in addressing climate change, and I want to tackle them. 

Ryder: I am concerned to support and encourage farmers and landowners in looking after the natural environment and in generating renewable energy. 

Foster: If we can achieve our ambitions we will all benefit from living in a greener cleaner place 

Les: Don`t ask if change is coming, ask rather how you can influence it for the better; but don`t ignore the financial aspects of this and the burden on the council tax payer. 

Smith: I'm serious about climate change as it affects those who live in rural communities immensely, as it is intertwined with homes and livelihoods.

Sedgwick: Happy to work and listen to local people who have local ideas to make this area better regarding climate change. 

Amsden: As living in the dales we are at a disadvantage in travel we have to drive cars to get to trains and shops and hospitals. 

Sharma: Keen to promote recycling in the area, building a greener, better planet through reduced waste should be council priority. I encourage all councillors all get behind to achieve council net-zero by 2030 

Parlour: My own farming practices (for over 40 years now) reflect my passion and commitment to nature conservation, biodiversity and the recognition of the need to take radical action to tackle the climate crisis.....it's a passion and attitude that I'd love to bring to the council chamber! 

Click on the link below to see the responses to our climate change survey questions provided by candidates standing for election in the forthcoming (5th May) North Yorkshire Council elections.

Over half of the candidates standing in the forthcoming North Yorkshire council elections have responded to our survey and responses have been received from candidates across the political spectrum in all the voting divisions except one.

Decarbonising new and existing buildings is the top priority for most candidates, whether that is helping householders with installing home insulation, solar panels and heat pumps or making sure that new developments and Council buildings such as schools and offices achieve zero carbon. 

Green energy projects and improving public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure were also identified as top priorities by several candidates, with others focusing on the fundamentals of educating and enabling everybody to reduce energy, water and materials use, increasing recycling rates and developing circular economies. 

Reflecting the rural nature of much of the area, priorities around land management, action to incentivise lower intensity farming and to support greater biodiversity were often cited. These included rearing fewer animals, growing more organic crops, giving marginal areas over to rewilding and woodland, and protecting and expanding natural features such as peat bogs, woods, hedgerows and wildflower meadows.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pa-BMTdvrOMLZiuKg8AkbsjgRCicoy2u/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112484026436840149982&rtpof=true&sd=true