Climate change
In July 2019, Members acknowledged the threat of climate change and passed a motion committing the Council to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. On 20th July 2023, a new motion reaffirming the climate emergency declaration and bringing the date forward to 2040, was passed.
The Council's climate change strategy has been revised and our action plan will continually be updated as we develop new actions to meet our target.
- Darlington Borough Council climate change strategy [pdf document].
- Climate change action plan [pdf document].
- Climate change report 2020/21 [pdf document].
- Climate change report 2021/22 [pdf document].
- Climate change report 2022/23 [pdf document].
- Climate change report 2023/24 [pdf document].
- Progress on 10 of our projects [pdf document].
Our Council Plan (2024-2027) has been published, which sets out our long-term vision, ambitions and priorities for Darlington. The three core principles are:
- addressing inequalities
- efficient and effective use of resources
- tackling climate change
We are also members of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, has its own region-wide net zero strategy.
We have produced an infographic for communities to share, explaining what climate change is and what action can be taken locally. Community infographic [pdf document]
The Climate Change Act includes an section allowing the Secretary of State to order reporting on how organisations are preparing for climate change. This is called the Adaptation Reporting Power. Local authorities have never been included in this, but this year we have taken part in a pilot project and have submitted our report[pdf document].
In 2024, we commissioned a carbon audit of council land, to see how much carbon is being stored. We are the first local authority in the UK to do this.