Climate change strategy for 2025 to 2030 Aim 3: engage and empower

Aim 3: Engage and empower residents and communities to take climate action

Things the council has already done:

  • run its Little Changes, Big Impact social media campaign and published information for residents and schools on our website
  • organised schools’ conferences to engage and inform pupils about climate change
  • supported the development of Bracknell Forest Community Climate Action (BFCCA), a councillor and volunteer-led local organisation co-ordinating and driving action across the borough

Key objectives

  1. Give residents information on climate risks, their influence and the benefits of climate action, enabling them to make informed choices.
  2. Include all local communities in climate action and make sure they have input to the council’s activities, which should be co-produced where possible.
  3. Enable residents to reduce emissions in different areas of their lives and take emissions into account when making decisions.
  4. Raise awareness of the advantages of a balanced and sustainable diet with less meat and of reducing flying.
  5. Support people to reduce their energy use by changing their behaviour.
  6. Support the development of local community climate and energy initiatives.

Priority actions

E1. Collaborate with and provide support to the BFCCA to help it run events, develop and move its projects forward.

E2. Provide targeted support for community groups to tackle climate change, such as small grants or match funding, advice and toolkits and launch a community climate partners scheme for ongoing engagement.

E3. Create or support climate hubs for resident engagement as well as repair cafés, swap schemes and libraries of things.

E4. Develop a communications and engagement plan and conduct a long-term, targeted communications and events campaign.

E5. Create a residents’ panel which reflects the make-up and diverse views of the community to inform and, where appropriate, co-produce comms and interventions.

E6. Conduct targeted outreach, including the use of Making Every Contact Count (MECC) approaches and tap into existing community groups and council schemes.

E7. Create a climate champions scheme in collaboration with local voluntary groups to support resident volunteering on climate change initiatives.

E8. Work with schools to educate and engage pupils on climate change.

Embedding the principles

Just transition

Different communities and individuals around the borough will have different needs, face different climate impacts and will be interested in climate change for different reasons. Our communications and engagement work will need to understand and reflect these to ensure nobody faces barriers to participation.

Co-benefits

These activities will also support:

  • residents’ health - by promoting balanced diets with less red meat1
  • equity and inclusion - by highlighting links to climate change and raising awareness
  • education - by boosting climate outreach in schools and to young people and residents

Working with others

Co-operation with community groups, schools and others will be key to delivering on the objectives under this aim. These activities will also help to embed a collaborative approach across all of the council’s climate activities.

Monitoring

We will monitor:

  • consumption emissions
  • engagement with communications and schemes (including from different groups)
  • results of resident surveys
  • qualitative feedback from partners and stakeholders