Council appoints Cabinet member for climate change

Councillor Joe Porter has joined Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's Cabinet as the portfolio holder for climate change.

Speaking following his appointment Councillor Porter said: "I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as Cabinet Member for climate change. Thank you to Council Leader, Councillor Sybil Ralphs, for this great opportunity to become the youngest councillor ever to join Cabinet.

"This is an extremely important issue that is very close to my heart. I am determined to get stuck in with turning our passionate words on climate change into robust, meaningful actions to leave our environment in a better state than we inherited.

"We look forward to working with partners across the district to make the Staffordshire Moorlands carbon neutral by 2030. We will also lobby the Government to take action nationally and internationally and work with them locally to tackle climate change.

"The establishment of a cross-party Climate Change sub-committee will enable us to develop a Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience Plan to draw on the wider expertise to assist us in our investigative work, setting priorities and delivering a carbon neutral Staffordshire Moorlands.

"Throughout the Council we must consider the impact of the decisions we make on climate change and the environment. This will require a wide ranging review of our policies and strategies.

"The time for action is now. This is an issue that affects every single one of us and my door is always open to new ideas to tackling climate change."