Guy S |
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This rather dropped under our radar, but it seems that back in October, Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Govt, mentioned CRAGs in a speech:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/speeches/corporate/solacespeech
The relevant bit, extracted here:
“With climate change, it is councils who are not just cutting their own carbon footprint and making recycling easier, but supporting the ideas that come from the grass roots: like the whole villages who have decided to “go zero” such as Ashton Hayes (in Cheshire) or Chew Magna (in Somerset). Or take smaller groups, like the Carbon Rationing Action Groups, or CRAGs, who come together and agree to take collective steps to cut their emissions, or those who use online “pledge banks” to, say, turn their thermostat down one degree, as long as fifty other people in their area agree to as well.
No-one is better placed to support and encourage them than local government – confident in its role, ambitious for the people it represents, and delivering what they need.”
I’m sure we’d all agree – only that the support CRAGs have had from councils so far has been pretty minimal! Let’s hope the new year sees some concrete aid from the DCLG and local govt (publicity, funding etc). I guess being featured in a speech is a good step down this road…