Council shortlisted for climate change award

Cheshire East Council has been shortlisted for an award in the climate response category of the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) awards, taking place tomorrow.

The LGC awards are a celebration of excellence and cutting-edge innovation in local government, with Cheshire East being recognised for its outstanding practice and commitment to tackling the climate emergency, alongside partners Storengy UK and Ansa Environmental Services.

The council has recently installed a green hydrogen refuelling compound at the Environmental Hub in Middlewich – the first of its kind in the North West of England.

The facility produces pollution-free hydrogen in the greenest way possible, using an electrolyser connected to solar panels. This provides safe, clean hydrogen fuel, which is initially helping to power two of the council’s refuse vehicles and one vehicle owned by Storengy UK.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of the environment and communities committee, said: “I am delighted that our hydrogen project has been shortlisted for this prestigious award.

“With COP26 now underway in Glasgow, momentum for taking action against climate change is really building. It’s clear that no-one can tackle the climate emergency alone – and that we must all work together to think differently about how we operate to reduce carbon emissions and protect the future of the planet.

“Working with our project partners, and with support from the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, we have designed an innovative project that puts us at the forefront of green energy technology.

“We have an ambitious target to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2025, and in supporting the wider borough to reduce their carbon emissions. This project is a great example of how working together can produce new ways to tackle the climate emergency, with our hydrogen powered refuse vehicles bringing carbon and air quality benefits to the borough.

“Despite the demanding circumstances of the past 18 months, the team has continued to work hard to ensure that this project became a reality – and being shortlisted for the climate response award is a tremendous boost to staff at Cheshire East.”

Michael Gibson, managing director of Storengy UK, said: “Working together is the only way we will find the best solutions to climate change.

“Storengy UK are proud to work with the teams at Cheshire East and Ansa on the first hydrogen refuelling station in the North West. As a local business, it’s great for us to support projects which have a positive impact within the community.”

Kevin Melling, Ansa managing director, added: “We are committed to working with Cheshire East Council to help them on their way to becoming carbon neutral by 2025 and to ensuring that sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. 

“All eyes are on us in the UK with COP26 now underway in Glasgow, and the key to success is working together. This is the best chance we’ll have to take positive action now and do all we can to address this climate emergency.”

The full list of nominees for the LGC awards 2021 can be found at:

www.awards.lgcplus.com/2-21shortlist.

The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Grosvenor House, London on 4 November.

To read more about the council’s hydrogen project, visit:

cheshireeast.gov.uk/carbonneutral.