To Bromley Council leader Cllr Colin Smith, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services Cllr William Huntington-Thresher and candidates for the Bromley Council May 2022 election,

Climate change poses major risks to our economy and wellbeing in the coming decades. The current government aims to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy by 2050, and they have made it clear that this is not solely the job of central government, stating:

‘We will take a coordinated approach, working across local and national government, and with business and civil society organisations. And we will make it easier and fairer for individuals, businesses and households to decarbonise, so that our whole society can work together to reduce emissions’ (BEIS, 2021, p11).

It is crucially important that Bromley Council takes climate action seriously to ensure that current and future residents of Bromley will have the opportunity to prosper. Bromley Council owns most of the roads and public spaces across the borough, and has oversight of waste management, social housing and environmental management. The council has a responsibility to use these powers and responsibilities to make it easier, safer and more affordable for residents and businesses to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

Bromley Council already has a target for net zero emissions by 2027, however this only covers emissions produced by the Council organisation, accounting for less than 1% of borough-wide emissions (Bromley Council CO2 Emissions Performance Report, 2019). The Council’s stated position is that:

‘We are demonstrating our leadership in this area and setting an example. However, it is for property owners, businesses and residents to take responsibility for their property and lifestyle and progressively make changes to achieve net-zero’ (Bromley Council Environment Committee written questions, 1 September 2021)

We believe that this position is inadequate. As a local authority, Bromley Council has a key role to play in decarbonising local transport, waste and social housing. Other borough councils across London have introduced targets for net-zero emissions: Greenwich have committed to become a carbon-neutral borough by 2030, and Westminster have committed to reach net zero emissions across the borough by 2040.

Will you support our call for Bromley Council to declare a climate emergency and commit to setting a target for reaching net-zero emissions for all activities across the borough, by 2050 at the very latest?

These commitments are critical steps to demonstrate Bromley Council’s responsibility to protect the environment and commitment to govern for the benefit of current and future generations. As community, advocacy or faith-based groups we are committed to take action on climate change. We invite you to work with us to achieve the change that is needed across the borough.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the strategies and solutions that could be employed to help Bromley achieve net-zero emissions in the coming decades.

Signed,

Beckenham United Reformed Church

Bromley Cyclists

Bromley Living Streets

Bromley YouthStrike4Climate

Christ Church United Reformed Church (Petts Wood)

Crystal Palace Community Trust

Downe Primary School

Friends of Green Street Green Common

Friends of Orpington Priory & Gardens

St Francis Church, Petts Wood

Action Vision Zero

London Living Streets

Mums for Lungs

20's Plenty For Us