Newham Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change
Tackling the Climate Emergency requires active engagement with residents and businesses. To meet our commitments to democracy and openness Newham Council established an independent Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change in early 2020.
The Citizens’ Assembly brought together 36 independently and randomly selected local residents for three evenings and a weekend to develop recommendations in response to the question:
“How can the Council and residents work together to reach the aspiration of being carbon zero by 2050 at the latest?”
Assembly members received 14 presentations from a variety of local and national experts. To help frame their recommendations to the council, the Citizens’ Assembly used the following six themes:
- Education, Awareness, Action: The council, residents and communities are educated about the climate emergency and are clear about what we all need to do.
- Technology and Energy: Invest in technologies to create sustainable energy (underpinned by the formula – continuous knowledge + action = wellbeing + more time on the planet).
- Moving Around (transport and travel): Switch Newham towards a cleaner, greener, healthier journey.
- Food and Recycling: Newham will reduce food waste and food miles and aspire to recycle 100%.
- Environment and Outdoor space: Newham Council with residents will transform the environment to produce a greener, more pleasant, healthier place where people will want to live, work and settle.
- Buildings and houses: Take greater leadership and responsibility in how residential homes and businesses become more energy efficient.
Read the full report of the Citizens’ Assembly (PDF).
Check the recommendations (PDF) made by the Citizens’ Assembly and the Council’s response, which was agreed by Cabinet on 14 July 2020.
The council’s response to the Citizens' Assembly is reflected in the Climate Emergency Action Plan (PDF).