PLANS for a carbon neutral Somerset by 2030 have been given the green light.

All five councils - Somerset County Council (SCC), Mendip District Council (MDC), Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) and South Somerset District Council (SSDC) - declared or recognised climate emergencies in 2019 and came together to agree on a Climate Emergency Strategy.

The draft strategy was launched on October 6, and has now been approved by all five councils at their full council meetings.

READ MORE: Councils release draft Climate Emergency Strategy

It was developed by the councils after a public consultation in January 2020, during which Somerset residents had the chance to decide what the priorities should be.

The councils have agreed this is a "landmark" decision for the county and they will work together to "tackle climate change".

"Our Climate Emergency Strategy will have an impact on everyone’s daily lives in Somerset," said the five portfolio holders in each of the councils.

“To reach our goal to be net zero carbon by 2030, we all need to play our part.

"The strategy is our roadmap on how we are going to reach carbon neutral and everyone in Somerset will need to contribute to this in some way.

"We will now work together with the community to help them understand how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

"As councils we will also be working hard to reduce our own carbon footprint and where necessary, lobby government on national policy."

Key actions within the strategy include:

• Developing an energy plan for Somerset with energy suppliers to ensure our future energy demands can be supported

• Developing an electric vehicle strategy for Somerset

• Improving walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure

• Improving resilience to climate change impact such as flooding

• Working with businesses and residents to reduce their own emissions

The full strategy and summary strategy with the details of all the plans for each key theme can be reviewed at www.somerset.gov.uk/climate-emergency.