Dr D. Ellis (Chair)

B. Tolhurst – Business Declares
Cllr H. Patel – Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Sustainability and the Environment
J. Melling – Cheshire Wildlife Trust
A. Moore – Culture Warrington
A. Jukes – Natural England
T. Hunt – University of Chester
H. Jones–Education lead and schools liaison 
L. Green – Warrington Borough Council
S. Fitzsimons – Warrington Chamber of Commerce
D. Cowley – Warrington Community Energy
A. Ridge – Warrington NHS Integrated Care Board
M. Woodward – Warrington & Vale Royal College
L. Groarke – Warrington Youth Voice

Support/Secretariat
B. Lipscombe – Warrington Borough Council
L. Pullan – Warrington Borough Council (communications support)
R. Lees – Warrington Borough Council
I. Lee - Warrington Borough Council

Role of the Commission

The commission’s main focus is on promoting activity in support of the climate strategy. Its role – set out in the strategy is:

Advisory

• To act as an advisory forum to help encourage and co-ordinate local action
• Advise Warrington Borough Council on its climate emergency response in support of the strategy

Promotion and engagement

• Promote the production of action plans in support of the strategy
• Provide a conduit to share information and signpost support via a website, social media channels and directly
• Encourage sharing of experience
• Help organise a public climate emergency forum to encourage wider participation and seek to engage with key stakeholder groups through existing or new forums and networks as appropriate
• Help arrange representative citizen assemblies or panels when needed to consider further development of the climate strategy particularly in areas where progress is slow or controversial

Reporting and planning

• Help gather and present data on progress and the barriers and risks to progress
• Produce annual progress reports, through which the strategy is reviewed and revised, and make these reports available publicly and via Warrington Borough Council

Membership

The commission is not an open membership forum, but its membership can be expanded in circumstances whereby the commission agrees it would be beneficial to advancing local climate action in line with the strategy. In such cases new members may be added by invitation from the Chair with agreement from commissioners.

Relationship with Warrington Borough Council

The Commission is intended to provide an independent voice on climate matters in Warrington to assist and encourage an effective response to the climate emergency across the borough as a whole. 

It was established by the council in recognition that that the climate emergency requires much more than a council response. It continues to be supported to help fulfil its role, with the council providing a secretariat and assisting with communications. 

To fulfil its role to advise the council, the council regularly reports its activities and plans to the commission with senior councillor and officers attending commission meetings.

The commission’s activities are also reported periodically to council cabinet as part of a climate emergency update report.

Meetings

The Commission aims to meets virtually once every two months.

Meetings are supported by a council officer secretariat.

Agendas are set through the Chair of the commission.

Reporting

In the interests of transparency notes from the commission’s meetings are shared publicly via the Commission’s website www.warringtonclimatecommission.org.uk.

To ensure feedback from commission meetings on council activities, notes are also shared with senior council officers.

To fulfil its anticipated role in the climate emergency strategy, the Commission will produce an annual progress report and make this available publicly and to inform Warrington Borough Council.

As of September 2022