Climate Jury’s recommendations add strength to Southwark Council’s ambitious climate strategy

3 March 2022

Southwark Council has welcomed an extensive set of recommendations from the Southwark Citizens’ Jury on Climate Change, established by the council to bring diverse and representative voices to the table, to help further shape its climate action plan and support its ambition to be a carbon neutral borough by 2030.

Through targeted action and investment, the council has already halved its own carbon emissions in its operational buildings, and released its borough-wide climate strategy in 2021, which was independently rated as being in the top two in London. The Jury’s report echoes and underlines many of the strategy’s themes and ideas and challenges everyone to act urgently, demonstrating strong and widespread public support for ambitious action across a range of key areas.

The Jury sat for three months and has now given its recommendations for changes to help Southwark meet its Climate ambitions. Key requests are for improving walking and public transport, helping make homes more energy efficient and easier to keep warm, working with businesses to cut carbon emissions and helping everyone in Southwark to take steps that will tackle climate change. 

Welcoming the recommendations from the Jury, Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, said: “We are committed to ending Southwark’s contribution to carbon emissions in a way that is inclusive and fair, which is why we set up the Citizens’ Jury to draw on all of the ideas and expertise that exist out in our communities. We know that we need to take our residents with us on this journey, so it is encouraging to see how our priorities for tackling the climate emergency are aligned with the Jury.

“This has been an intensive process, and I want to thank the jurors for their participation and commitment. The Council will be responding in full to the report this summer, but our plans and ambition are already there, as is the political will to turn the recommendations into action and deliver our climate strategy.

“We have already halved the council’s emissions, created new school streets and pedestrian crossings, added nearly 4km of new cycle route, and are on course to plant more than 10,000 trees. We will continue to work with our partners and the thousands of Southwark residents that we represent, to use our collective resources and power to effect the change we need and to equip others to take action.”

Funded by the council, and facilitated by an independent organisation, the jury is made up of 25 local people, representative of the borough, who applied to learn about, discuss, and make recommendations on issues that will help the borough become greener and healthier for everyone.

Jury member Daniel Gayle, from South Bermondsey, said, “I wanted to be part of the Citizen’s Jury because it was a chance for me to give my views on measures that need to be taken to address the climate issue. The experience helped me understand that there are lots of broader issues at play – economic social and political – but legislation needs to be at the centre of how we make changes. The climate emergency needs to be addressed because we’re at a precipice. Things have to change or we’re doomed.”

The Jury are holding an online launch event on Thursday 10 March at 7pm, which will provide an opportunity for residents and organisations in Southwark to hear directly from the jury members on why they got involved, the recommendations that have been put forward, the impact they could have and where we go next.

Page last updated: 03 March 2022