CONCERNS have been raised about Winchester City Council's approach to the climate crisis.

Speaking at a full council meeting on November 6, Councillor Danny Lee underlined the city council's responsibility to take action over rising global temperatures and biodiversity loss.

Cllr Lee asked WCC cabinet member for climate emergency Councillor Kelsie Learney the following question: “Global temperatures are on course for a dangerous three-degree rise, with six out of nine planetary boundaries already breached, compromising our planet’s resilience and accelerating biodiversity loss. This highlights the urgent need for integrated adaptation and resilience strategies that also support climate mitigation.

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The council chamber in Winchester on November 6 (Image: Sebastian Haw) "Fortunately, local authorities can play a key role in preparing communities and ecosystems for climate impacts. Does this council agree there is now a need for an 'Adaptation and Resilience Strategy’, building on our climate and nature Emergency plans, to proactively manage climate risks and stay ahead of the climate risk curves?”

Cllr Learney replied: "Given the international failure to tackle the climate crisis, we will of necessity be incorporating adaptational resilience into our new council plan currently in development."

She added: "The leader explicitly addressed this point during council plan consultation, at the scrutiny and both the policy committees. […] The actions needed for effective adaptation, however, involve more than just this council. A local strategy will still need to involve commitments from the county council, [the] national park authority, utility companies, the Environment Agency and many others.

"A joined-up approach is needed and central government guidance is needed to clarify roles and responsibilities. While continuing to take actions as a council ourselves where practicable, we will be considering how we can best lobby government for not only guidance but increased resources […]."

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Cllr Lee followed this up with another question: "The vulnerabilities can too often be hidden or managed or tolerated in a way that masks its effects. And I understand what you said, but to safeguard our resources and communities, it is crucial that we refine our approach and it sounds like we are intending to do that. […] So can I ask, will we have a plan, a timetable of some sort, to look at new objectives which fall out of the council plan with risks and KPIs [key performance indicators]?"

To this Cllr Learney replied: "I think exactly the action we will take and what we propose to do going forward will be part of that new council plan development process. I’m reluctant to give specific commitments now until we look at exactly what’s in that council plan and the resource we have available to back it up."