Warwick District Council holds referendum on whether to hike tax by 34 per cent to fund £3million climate change drive
- Warwick District Council holding referendum on council tax rise for climate drive
- Local authority will be the first in the country to hold referendum for the purpose
- It intends to fund a £3million drive to make the area carbon neutral by 2030
A referendum will be held on whether a local authority should become the first in the country to hike council tax to fund a climate change drive.
Warwick District Council wants to become carbon-neutral itself by 2025, and make the entire district carbon-neutral by 2030.
It says it needs to raise £3million a year to fund the plan – which would mean increasing council tax by the equivalent of £1 per week for a Band D household.
That is equivalent to around 34 per cent of its portion of the levy.
People from the district’s main towns of Leamington, Warwick, Whitnash and Kenilworth, as well as nearby villages, will be asked to approve the programme at the ballot box on May 7.
Warwick District Coouncil wants to make the area it covers carbon neutral by 2030 and is asking residents to vote for a tax hike to help make that happen
Council leader Andrew Day said the referendum was an ‘incredible chance’ for the district’s residents to become the first in the country to take decisive action against climate change
The Climate Action Now (CAN) programme would improve on the efficiency of the district’s homes, create a new sustainable transport policy to reduce congestion and air pollution and enhance the environment through tree planting schemes and the creation of green spaces.
Council leader Andrew Day said the vote – expected to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to stage – was an ‘incredible chance’ for the district’s residents to become the first in the country to take decisive action against climate change.
‘The time to do something about climate change isn’t in a few years’ time – it’s right now,’ he said.
‘We’ve declared a climate emergency, and we now need to take urgent action to help turn the tide against climate change by becoming carbon neutral.’
He added that all parties put aside all their differences to come together to support the ‘ambitious’ plan because climate change is ‘more important than political disagreements’.
The council voted unanimously on Wednesday night to put the plan to a vote.