WINSFORD Town councillors have pledged to tackle the effects of climate change as a matter of urgency.

Members voted unanimously to prepare a strategy to reduce the town's carbon footprint to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Councillors will encourage all residents and local businesses to reduce and eradicate their carbon footprint.

Town clerk Mike Bailey will prepare a report outlining the council's climate change strategy.

Cllr Mike Kennedy suggested changing the Town Council's van when the lease expires and replacing it with an eco-friendly vehicle.

Cllr Stella Mellor said councillors should encourage more residents to use electric cars by investigating the possibility of installing electric charging points in the town.

Cllr Lyndsay Barwell said: "People in Winsford want green spaces and value the natural environment. Not using bottled water is a small step we could take to reduce our carbon footprint."

Mayor Cllr Ailsa Gaskill-Jones said: "We've all got lots of ideas. Let's feed them back to the clerk so he can include them in his report."

Former mayor Gina Lewis, now serving as a councillor on Cheshire West and Chester Council, welcomed the move as she spoke to members during the open forum.

CWAC has already declared a climate emergency.

"I am very pleased to see this motion,"said Cllr Lewis, a member of CWAC's climate change group.

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CWAC, she said, will be hosting a climate change conference at Chester Zoo on November 22. Admission is free.

"We hope to get together as many of our partners, town and parish councillors as possible. We have already got a very good programme of work going through.

"We want to involve as many people as possible."