A year of climate achievements for Wirral

To mark Green Month in June, the council has looked back at its achievements over the last year in responding to the climate emergency.

Since it declared an Environment and Climate Emergency in July 2019, Wirral Council has developed an Environment and Climate Emergency policy  and outlined key actions across all services designed to ensure the council’s activities achieve net zero carbon by 2030.

Having endorsed this policy and its aims, each year the council plans to reach certain milestones and achievements across its different service areas.

• Trees – Over the last year, more than 21,000 trees have been planted around the borough thanks to the help of volunteers, including about 4,000 dedicated to The Queen’s Green Canopy, a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. As set out in Wirral’s Tree Strategy, the aim is to plant 21,000 trees each year until 2030 to help the borough double its tree canopy.
• Streetlights – In 2022, the council also successfully completed a multi-million-pound project to change 26,000 streetlights to more energy-efficient LED bulbs. This means that almost the entire network will be operating more efficiently – using less energy, reducing carbon emissions and reducing maintenance costs as the bulbs are longer lasting.
• Travel – To help Wirral on the journey to fossil-free local travel, 53 electric vehicle charging points have been installed. The on-street charging points in Birkenhead, Wallasey and Woodchurch and have been placed on streetlights so they are easily accessible from the road. The council now aims to produce a plan for the future of electric vehicle charging in Wirral so more charging points can be installed in years to come.
• Carbon literacy – The council has been awarded a Bronze Award for carbon literacy, an internationally recognised award that shows the authority is prioritising action to tackle the climate crisis. As the first local council to achieve this status in Merseyside, Wirral has been recognised as an organisation that is making a substantial commitment to carbon literacy.

Next year’s goals are already identified by the council and work towards them is being planned or is underway, including:

• Gaining Silver Award carbon literacy status
• Developing a council Green Fleet Strategy for greener travel
• Talking to residents more about the environment
• Developing a plan for Electric Vehicle Charging
• Planting a further 21,000 trees

To find out more about Wirral Council and its aims to lead the way on the climate emergency response, visit the council’s website

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