CAPZero team present at West Oxfordshire District Council Executive Meeting in Eynsham Village Hall
The CAPZero team were delighted to be asked to present on the project at the Executive Meeting of West Oxfordshire District Council, (WODC), at Eynsham Village Hall on 11 December 2024. The Executive meetings take place within a different community in West Oxfordshire each month and are open to the public. It was a fantastic opportunity to introduce the whole council to the local solutions to climate change that CAPZero outlines.
The Leader, Councillor Andy Graham opened the meeting by welcoming members of the public and asked the Executive Members to introduce themselves and their portfolio areas. The Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, Councillor Andrew Prosser, announced the launch of the CAPZero project. Cllr Prosser is a keen supporter of the project, and we are grateful to have his expertise on the CAPZero Steering Committee.
After the close of formal business, Cathy Ryan, Community Engagement Manager at Low Carbon Hub, delivered the CAPZero presentation and introduced the project to the Executive, District Councillors and Officers. CAPZero community groups, Green TEA and Freeland Energy Group, added their support, as well as the WODC Climate Change Team, led by Hannah Kenyon.
Many of the Executive Members, Councillors and Officers remained after the presentation to talk to the CAPZero team at the stall, to find out more about the project and the actions that need to be taken to reach a local sustainable energy system. We gave away all our printed copies of the action plan and invited others to view the CAPZero website.
Low Carbon Hub’s Business Relationships Manager, Alison Grunwald, was on hand to provide information on how Energy Solutions Oxfordshire can support local businesses to reduce their energy demand and make their premises more energy efficient. Mairi Brookes, Smart Systems Energy Director, shared copies of Low Carbon Hub’s newly published 10 Year Strategy.
It’s unusual to have the opportunity to talk directly to so many councillors in one place about evidence-based solutions to reach a local zero-carbon energy system, but that’s what happened, and we left feeling that CAPZero is firmly embedded within West Oxfordshire District Council.