A NEW initiative that would provide cash to help schools and public sector bodies reduce their carbon footprint is being considered.

Conservative members of Cheshire West and Chester Council wanted the authority to commit to launching a ‘Green Emergency Loan Fund’ at last month’s budget meeting.

It would see the council lend cash to public bodies across the borough for capital investments that would help them cut their carbon use.

The Tories were voted down on the night, but now CWAC’s deputy leader has confirmed that the idea will be considered by the council’s climate emergency taskforce.

“Emergencies need actions,” said Cllr Elton Watson, Conservative shadow cabinet member for environment.

“This simple initiative was to cost the council nothing and would kick-start carbon reduction initiatives across the borough that are currently held back through a lack of available capital.”

The idea was put forward as an amendment to CWAC’s budget for 2020-21, with Cllr Watson suggesting it would have ‘sent a decisive signal across the borough that time is of the essence’ to tackle the climate emergency.

But CWAC has set up two groups to consider how the borough can go climate-zero by 2045 – a taskforce made up of councillors and an advisory panel of experts.

Labour Cllr Karen Shore, CWAC’s deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, believes the budget amendment was ‘merely an attempt to circumvent the taskforce for party political gain’ – with the taskforce now set to consider the proposal.

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She said: “The Tory amendment was presented on the night, with no opportunity for scrutiny or independent oversight.

“It was precisely for this reason that the cross-party taskforce and independent expert panel was set up – so that residents could play their part, so that decisions could be evidence-based and prioritised in-line with the independent recommendations produced by [sustainability consultants] Anthesis and so they could be scrutinised to ensure decisions passed the value for money test.”