A COUNCIL has been challenged to lead the green revolution by becoming carbon neutral before 2030.

The idea was put to Cotswold District Council (CDC) by Cllr Ray Brassington after the announcement that the local authority in Stroud had completed the feat 15 years ahead of schedule.

He beseeched environmental cabinet member Sue Coakley to do the same in order to meet the demands of the district as climate change intensifies.

She said the council had a “proven track record in terms of climate change and carbon management”, and had signed up to the Nottingham Declaration in 2009, a scheme to bring down bring down carbon emissions.

Since then the council had added lighting upgrades, pool covers, voltage optimisation, insulation works and building energy management systems, among other things, she added.

“The ‘clear green’ theme has consistently featured within the council’s priories, including the most recently agreed corporate strategy, which provides an on-going commitment to look for improvements and strategies which are practicable and implementable,” the cabinet member said.

She added that she had asked a CDC officer to contact Stroud for tips on lowering emissions.

At the same council meeting last week, Cllr Coakley was quizzed on why recycling rates were falling in the Cotswolds.

Cllr Nigel Robbins said they were still waiting to hear the results of a consultation about improving the Cotswolds’ recycling bank network carried out in quarter three of 2015.

“We are now in quarter two of 2016,” he said.

“How much more time will elapse before the administration acts to arrest the drop in recycling rates?”

Cllr Coakley replied that the council would be “issuing communications in the coming weeks and putting signage up at sites to advertise the changes taking place”.

She added that extra banks would encourage recycling, along with other schemes.

“I would remind Cllr Robbins of the very successful Food Waste Campaign we ran last autumn, which saw an estimated 20 per cent of food waste diverted from the residual waste stream.”