The MAYOR of Oswestry, Councillor Duncan Kerr, believes Shropshire Council must re-write its Local Plan to reflect the severity of the climate emergency.

The council's Local Plan is currently out to consultation and Cllr Kerr – a former Shropshire councillor – believes it should reflect a move to be completely carbon neutral by 2050.

And he is calling on his fellow Oswestry town councillors to support his call to the unitary authority to make the all-important changes to their green policy.

He said: "The document sates that the Climate Change Act of 2008 required an 80 per cent reduction in emission by 2050.

"But it completely ignores the 2019 Target Amendment order which increased this to 100 per cent.

"The UK is not on course to meet either of these targets, the Committee on Climate Change has said that getting to net zero (i.e meeting the 100 per cent target) is 'technically feasible but highly challenging'.

"Given the urgency of the situation, as recognised by Shropshire Council declaring a climate emergency, far stronger and more ambitious policies are needed in the Local Plan to drive up energy efficiency standards in new building.

"[It needs a] move towards active travel, dramatically increase the production of renewable energy and extend the current woeful amount of tree coverage in the county.

"Instead of this the plan merely repeats the policies regarding the council's’ own carbon emissions.

"These are just a fraction of the whole community.

"There are appallingly few policies in this plan that will drive down carbon emission from these sectors in the future, let alone reach zero emissions by 2050.

"I am asking Oswestry Town Council to support me in demanding that this section be re-written to reflect the latest legislation and the urgency of the climate crisis and thus avoid another 12 years of draft and under-achievement."