Finding more ways to go green – Southwark heeds citizens’ advice

Southwark council has pledged to invest £1 million in biodiversity projects to protect and improve the borough’s green spaces.  

This is part of £7.5 million that the council has announced it will spend on green projects, in its updated climate action plan.  

The investment is directly in response to recommendations from the borough’s Citizens’ Jury on Climate Change, which asked the council to enhance green spaces for wildlife and well-being. It will also support the council’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

The local authority says its emissions, and emissions across the borough, have both decreased in the past year, but admits sustained action and investment is needed to become net-zero by 2030.  

To do that, alongside the new funding for biodiversity improvements, Southwark council is also spending money in a number of other key areas.

This includes better paths to encourage walking, a new community fund to support residents clubbing together on green projects, accelerating decarbonisation by halving council emissions by 2026 and more spending on ‘cargo bikes’ to reduce van usage. 

Of the 93 recommendations, 82 actions (88 per cent) are included in the updated action plan, with 13 completely new actions, such as expanding school streets schemes (closing roads outside schools at drop-off and pickup times) to improve walking and cycling for schoolchildren. 

Councillor Kieron Williams, leader of Southwark council, said: “Last year we set out our ambitious roadmap to becoming net-zero by 2030, but we knew that it needed to be strengthened by the different perspectives, experiences and ideas of Southwark’s residents. 

“That’s why we’re so thankful to the time and input that we received from our Citizens’ Jury, made up of local residents, which has allowed us to deepen our climate plans by including their recommendations and making these new funding commitments.” 

Councillor Catherine Rose, cabinet member for parks, streets and clean air, joined Cllr Williams at Lavender Pond Nature Reserve, in Rotherhithe, which has recently had newly-planted banks and reinforced walls introduced to mark its 40th anniversary. 

She said: “Protecting and enhancing our green spaces was a key priority of the Citizens’ Jury, so it’s great to celebrate both 40 years of this amazing nature reserve, and our new investment to improve biodiversity across the borough.” 

The council’s updated Climate Action Plan, and the formal response to the recommendations made by the Citizens’ Jury on Climate Change, are due to be received by cabinet on Monday, where it is expected that they will be formally adopted. 

Pictured top: Southwark councillors visiting the recently refurbished Lavender Ponds, alongside Friends of Lavender Pond and The Conservation Volunteers (left to right): Mike Turner, The Conservation Volunteers; Jillian Houghton, Project Manager LBS; Cllr Catherine Rose; Fernasisco Rodriguez-Weil, Friends of Lavender Pond; Cllr Kieron Williams; John Best, Ecology Officer LBS

(Picture: Southwark council)