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Welcome to your monthly Climate Change update. Northumberland County Council is committed to making our county carbon neutral by 2030 and we need everyone to do their bit to help reduce carbon emissions.
How can you help make a difference? 👇
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Home energy upgrades
Our Warmer Homes team has installed a total of 219 insulation and low-carbon energy solutions in eligible homes across the county, helping Northumberland residents become more energy efficient and reduce their bills and carbon footprint.
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Taster days for renewable energy training
The Northumberland Skills Welding and Fabrication Technical Training Centre at the Port of Blyth hosted two free taster days on 16 March where young people aged 15 and above were invited to discover more about careers in the renewable energy and engineering sectors.
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Fighting fly-tipping We are stepping up our efforts to combat fly-tipping in the county by deterring offenders and holding them accountable. CCTV coverage has increased, and fines will target perpetrators. Our cleansing staff have been trained in gathering evidence from fly tipped waste to support increased enforcement activity.
Fly-tipping is illegal and can be reported reported to the Council by going to nland.cc/fix or by ringing the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 |
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Student's environmental message Matthew MacDonald, a student at King Edward’s VI (KEVI) High School in Morpeth, won our waste competition vibrant design, featuring the slogan 'make the bins happy,'. The idea behind this was that the bins are happy when people recycle properly and put the right materials in. His design will be displayed on our bin lorries county-wide and at our Morpeth depot. |
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| From shopfloor for the great outdoors New recruits at Prudhoe’s largest employer, Essity, swapped the shopfloor for the great outdoors to showcase their environmental credentials. Eight youngsters, recently recruited onto the mill’s award-winning apprenticeship scheme, worked with the Friends of Eastwoods Park charity to plant dozens of fruit trees around the Town’s popular community sports ground.
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Entries open for this year's LOVE Northumberland awards
Applications are now open for this year’s LOVE Northumberland Awards – the annual celebration of all that is great about community environmental work in the county. Community groups, schools and individuals can apply in seven different award categories for projects and initiatives which improve their local areas or neighbourhoods. Deadline: Friday 3 May at 4pm.
Entries are invited for the categories of:
- Best children’s project
- Best young people’s project
- Best urban project
- Best coast or countryside project
- Outstanding individual
- Best community response to the climate change emergency
Winners will be presented with their awards by Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland at an event at The Alnwick Garden on Thursday, June 13.
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Net zero guidance published for village halls
Guidance published by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) as part of National Village Halls Week outlines what can be done to improve the energy efficiency of village halls. The guide features several pioneering communities that have sought to decarbonise their building and reduce bills by improving insulation, replacing heating systems and generating their own energy.
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Webinar: Community Energy Fund (CEF)
The NEY Net Zero Hub is hosting a Zoom webinar to provide an overview of the Community Energy Fund (CEF) programme.
Date: Wednesday 10 April
Time: 10am - 11:30am
The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub has opened the second round of the Community Energy Fund, a national programme designed to help communities develop energy services which benefit their local area. Urban and rural communities can apply for up to £140,000 of funding to get their local clean energy and heat projects off the ground. Eligible projects for funding include small-scale wind farms, rooftop solar partnerships, battery storage, rural heat networks and electric vehicle charging points, as well as energy efficiency, retrofit, and advice projects.
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Gas safety grants Grants of up to £500 are available for replacements, repairs, and servicing of gas appliances to provide vital gas safety interventions for vulnerable people in their homes. There can only be one intervention per household per year which may include more than one measures such as gas safety checks, gas servicing, gas boiler repairs, gas boiler replacements, gas boiler combustion analysis, gas cookers, gas fires, gas pipework, gas meters, gas water heaters.
Who can apply:
All applicants must live in privately owned accommodation and be one of the following:
- 60 years old or over and have low household income and/or a disability
- Under 60 and have a low household income and/or a disability or
- Considered exceptionally vulnerable by the HIA (This is reviewed on a case
- by case basis)
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Funding available for home energy upgrades
Eligible residents could access a range of energy-saving improvements, including insulation for walls, lofts and floors, air source heat pumps and solar panels. You could be eligible if you live in a private home in Northumberland which is not heated by mains gas, have an income of up to £44,000 per year (depending on your circumstances), receive a means-tested benefit or you live in a specific postcode area. Please see Council website for full eligibility information.
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This email has been produced by the Northumberland County Council Communications team. |
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