A council is planning to declare a climate emergency next week.

Three Rivers District Council will debate what it can do about man-made climate change at its Annual Council Meeting on Tuesday.

A motion to be put to the council by councillors Sara Bedford, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Chris Lloyd, Alex Michaels, Sarah Nelmes, Andrew Scarth and Dom Sokalski asks the council to declare a Climate Emergency and produce a strategy and action plan to make Three Rivers carbon neutral by 2030.

It commits the council to use all practical means to reduce the impact of council services on the environment, use all planning regulations and the Local Plan to cut carbon emissions and reduce the impact on the environment.

And it says the council will work with partners in the public and private sector and engage with local residents and businesses to gain their support.

The motion asks that details of the strategy and action plan be brought to its policy and resources committee by the end of 2019.

It also calls for help from the Government to provide the support and resources needed to progress the action plan.

Council leader Cllr Sara Bedford said: “There are many things that we need to rethink about what the council, our residents and businesses do and how they could be done better to reflect the environmental catastrophe that faces us.

“This a flag in the sand, a declaration of what we stand for, where we want to be and what we want to achieve.”

Cllr Bedford said it would ask people living in the district and experts for their views.

Cllr Bedford added: “We want to talk to local residents, businesses and organisations, many of whom share our concerns, to find out what they think.

“And we need to examine best practice and look at what is practical, affordable and achievable, this will be partnership not an imposition.

“Many people have already made significant changes to their lives, including eating less meat, avoiding single use plastics or driving an electric car, and are keen to make further changes.

“Three Rivers may only be a tiny part of the global economy, but we need to play a local part to fight this global threat.”