Welcome from Cllr Heather Timms

Hello and welcome to the May edition of Warwickshire Means Business – this month we bring you a special 'green edition' which outlines and explores our commitment to a sustainable future.

We want to be a County with a sustainable future which means adapting to and mitigating climate change and meeting net zero commitments, so that our generation ensures that future generations than live well and reap the benefits of a sustainable and thriving Warwickshire.

That ethos is at the heart of our Council Plan and taking action on climate change is therefore one of our key strategic priorities. Our vision is for a Warwickshire that is low in carbon with vastly reduced energy bills, which has landscapes with plenty of wildlife that people can enjoy and farms that provide us with local food, supported by a thriving sustainable economy and resulting in communities that are happier, healthier and empowered.  

This is a big ambition, and we can’t do it alone – and neither can you. We hope that this special green edition of Warwickshire Means Business is just one step in our role to support and coordinate activity between local government and our business community. We are fully committed to leading the way in this and so are keen to work with you, ensuring that you can manage the risks from climate change, but that you are also ready to take the opportunities that a growing green economy will bring. 

I hope you find plenty to interest you in this newsletter. Please have a read about how WCC’s Green Recovery Grants have brought enormous benefits to a diverse range of local business including Frank Parkers Butchers, Farmers Fayre, Disco Bowl Nuneaton and Oakridge Golf Club.

We feature the breadth of green schemes which WCC is delivering along with our partners. In a Guest Column, our Head of Economy & Skills, Kim Fraser-Bell outlines the significant economic as well environmental savings to be made by making your business green. Paula Deas, Coventry & Warwickshire Business Partnerships Strategic Lead, discusses the importance of making green thinking “fundamental” to the future.

If you are as passionate about this as we are, and something sparks your interest or gives you an idea that you’d like to share with us, please do - we’d be delighted to hear from you. Maybe the new role of Future Skills Advisor, to which the Net Zero agenda will be key, may be of interest?

We look forward very much to working with you all to deliver a Warwickshire that is sustainable now and for future generations. You can keep up-to-date with the very latest climate change and sustainability news from across Warwickshire by subscribing to the monthly Climate Change in Warwickshire newsletter:

Heather