News on Brent Climate Assembly

The Brent Climate Assembly considered residents’ ideas and priorities as the group met for a second time on Saturday 23rd Novembe

Who was in the room?

55 Assembly members joined environmental experts and council officers to better understand the options that Brent has for addressing the climate and ecological emergency. The experts ranged from academics to programme managers and included:

· Jim Watson – Professor of Energy Policy at UCL, specialising in energy policy, systems, and policy innovations for clean energy.

· Tim Schwanen – Professor of Transport Studies and Geography, Tim works on low-carbon mobilities in cities, transitions in the transport sectors, and social inequality.

· Ruth London – Director of Fuel Poverty Action, a grassroots group working to end fuel poverty and ensure that UK citizens have safe, warm homes.

· Peter Tilston - Project Director, West London Waste Authority, the statutory body responsible for waste disposal in the London boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames.

· Daniel Brittle - Programme Manager Groundwork London. Groundwork London is working across London to create greener, stronger and healthier communities, responsible business and greater prospects for local people.

Discussing the options

The day was all about understanding the options available to the Council, local organisations and residents themselves. In readiness for weighing up those options at the final event in two weeks’ time, we asked groups to think about the criteria they thought the Assembly should use for judging each option. Groups came up with a range of criteria, including its scope and scale, whether it would have knock-on benefits for people’s health and wellbeing, and whether its costs and impacts would be felt fairly.

The Assembly then heard feedback from the Brent Youth Climate Summit, which was held a few weeks ago and also considered what other residents and local organisations had proposed via the Brent Climate Assembly website over the last month.

With all this in mind, participants then went into a series of seven ‘thematic’ discussions – from energy and transport to green space and waste management. Experts and council officers joined each table to help explain how different ideas could work in Brent, and what the pros and cons could be. Participants later returned to their ‘home groups’ to reflect on what they had been hearing. Before the end of the day, a panel discussion gave the whole room a final chance to quiz the experts and to get their guidance on how the ideas they had been discussing could be taken forward.

What’s next?

We’re now getting ready for the final session on December 7th, where the Assembly will focus on how to turn the ideas they’ve been discussing into a set of recommendations for action.