Plans approved for an historic referendum on residents paying an extra fee to help tackle climate change in the Warwick district

Residents in Warwick District will become the first in the UK to vote on committing funds to counter the effects of climate change after an historic decision tonight (Wednesday).

Warwick District Council put aside party politics to unanimously vote to put its ‘Climate Action Now’ programme – CAN – which is designed to make the council carbon-neutral by 2025, and the district carbon-neutral by 2030 – to a referendum on May 7.

Voters from Warwick District’s main towns of Leamington, Warwick, Whitnash and Kenilworth, as well its surrounding villages, will be given the vote on whether to pay an average of an extra £1 a week on top of their council tax to fund the plan.

As we have previiously reported, the council hopes that the programme will improve the efficiency of the district’s homes, create a new sustainable transport policy to reduce congestion and air pollution, encourage residents to adopt a more active lifestyle, enhance the environment through tree planting schemes and the creation of green spaces, and help businesses become more energy-efficient.

The council needs to raise £3 million per year to fund the programme and can only do that by raising council tax by the equivalent of £1 per week for a Band D household, and that requires a public vote under law.

Taxpayers who are on low incomes would also be eligible for a discount on the planned rise.

The money raised will be completely ringfenced, meaning every penny will be spent on delivering the CAN programme. The public will be able to scrutinise this through the council’s accounts and regular Climate Action impact reports.

Warwick District Council’s leader Cllr Andrew Day said the vote was an “incredible chance” for the district’s residents to become the first in the country to take decisive action against climate change at a local level.

“The time to do something about climate change isn’t in a few years’ time – it’s right now,” he said.

“We’ve declared a climate emergency, and we now need to take urgent action to help turn the tide against climate change by becoming carbon neutral.

“All parties have put aside their differences to come together to support this ambitious plan – climate change is more important than political disagreements.

“In order to achieve our goals, we need to raise council tax by the equivalent of £1 per week for a Band D household – less than half the price of a typical cup of coffee. This means we have to put the rise to the voters in a referendum.

“We can assure residents that this money will only be spent on the CAN programme, and the public will be able to check we’re doing our job correctly through regular updates in meetings and through our accounts.

“Not only that, the extra money will make it far more likely the council will secure external grants to help fund CAN projects.

“We urge Warwick District’s voters to take this incredible opportunity to actively combat climate change and vote yes on Thursday, May 7.

“Warwick District could be the pioneers in battling climate change should voters say ‘yes’ - where we lead, many other councils will follow, and we’re confident the government will take notice.

“Many people say they’d like to do something about climate change, and this is a chance for Warwick District to prove it. It’s time for climate action now – Warwick District CAN.”