Just Transition Wakefield was created as a push on Wakefield Council to declare a climate emergency and to campaign to ensure that the council developed a suitable plan to meet its declared targets.

Wakefield Council declared a climate emergency in May 2019 and an ecological emergency in March 2021.  

The council have created a climate change team to create and deliver a plan to decarbonise their own activities by 2030 and to support and encourage the whole district to decarbonise homes and businesses, also by 2030 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Wakefield Council’s Climate Change Action Plan can be accessed here.

Image © Wakefield Council

How are the council doing?

1. They have a plan.  It is not yet perfect, but it exists before many others, which crucially allows work to decarbonise their activities to start.

2. The climate change team are open and engaging, and very happy to talk to people – including ourselves.  This means that the updated Climate Change Action Plan will be an improvement on version 1.  We all need continuous improvement.

3. The section of the plan to decarbonise the district is not yet as good, because it is a bigger challenge.  There are also policy decisions made in Westminster that can either help or hinder.

What does Just Transition Wakefield do about this?

  • We engage with the council, meeting the Climate change team regularly to discuss progress and barriers, and to push further.
  • We attend the Climate Change and Environmental Overview and Scrutiny Committee to maintain a consistent presence and pressure, and ask difficult questions.
  • We highlight new technologies and reports.
  • We engage with the Climate Change team’s social media to spread the message.
  • As covid restrictions allow a return to face-to-face meetings, we will finally get to develop our own programme of climate activity. Keep watching the website! 

What can I do about this?

If you live in Wakefield and want to influence local climate action, you can: