Community Action Northumberland

Climate change is already happening in the UK.  Behavioural change, individually and collectively, in reducing CO2 emissions is a crucial priority for all.  But reductions in the use of the car and increasing fuel costs have a disproportionate impact on rural communities. 

Rising temperatures bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.  More isolated rural communities will be the last to benefit from public sector interventions. 

On the other hand, rural communities have a stronger role to play in addressing climate change impact because they are self-governing; they already own most of their community assets and facilities.  They have a unique relationship with surrounding land assets and a tradition of self-help that can be harnessed to develop community initiatives.

The Rural Community Action Network (RCAN) aims to work with communities to identify local solutions and generate new approaches and new opportunities.  In this way all sections of the community become engaged, including those who may not be attracted to action on climate change issues alone. RCAN embeds carbon reduction measures within its support for community action and encourages local community groups to reduce the use of resources such as energy, fuel and water.  

Read the full version of ACRE’s Policy Position Statement on Climate Change (September 2009):
http://www.acre.org.uk/Resources/ACRE/Documents/ClimateChange.pdf

Key Strategy Documents
The Heat Is On DVD was produced by Northumberland Strategic Partnership in December 2007 to help kick-start a county-wide debate among policy makers, community representatives and businesses on the implications of climate change for Northumberland. The Strategic Framework for Climate Change Planning in Northumberland (2009) seeks to help continue that discussion by presenting an agenda for action. The delivery plan takes forward the commitment to put activity on climate change at the centre of our service delivery in Northumberland.

Strategic Framework for Climate Change Planning in Northumberland
Delivery Plan 
Watch the video online 

CAN is one of 38 rural community councils in England (Rural Community Action Network) that receives funding from Defra, via Action with Communities in Rural England as part of this contract Community Action Northumberland will:

• Work with parish councils and other rural stakeholders to raise awareness of the prevalence of rural fuel poverty.
   
• Engage with local strategic initiatives on combating fuel poverty and delivery of community-based renewable energy schemes.
   
• Make contact with local stakeholders in both fields and provide dissemination/promotion of opportunities within local communities.
   
• Where local capacity exists, work with individual communities on developing community-led initiatives; otherwise signpost to other sources of support.
   
• Provide intelligence on relevant local authority strategies and programmes.
   
• Provide grass roots intelligence on community-led initiatives that tackle fuel poverty and have developed renewable energy schemes; including successes and barriers met.