Marlow Town Council has been forced to postpone a town hall meeting due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the team.

The meeting was set to discuss how the community can work together on the future Sustainable Marlow Challenge after new data was published revealing the town's environmental performance.

This is the second edition of ‘Marlow Environmental Performance Index (MEPI)’ published by the town council.

The MEPI shows how Marlow households compare with the rest of the country and highlights positive and negative trends and is one of the most detailed sustainability insights published by any town or parish council in the country.

It consists of eleven sustainability indicators.

These include the consumption of water, gas and electricity as well as greenhouse gas emissions, rooftop PV solar installations, average household waste generation and recycling, number of cars owned, emissions intensity of cars registered in Marlow, number of electric cats used and level of air pollution in the town centre.

The share of zero-emission electric cars in Marlow increased by half in 2020 and the number of rooftop PV solar installations increased by 40 per cent in 2021, according to the data.

The index does show the town also faces challenges too.

Per household consumption of water, gas and electricity in Marlow is higher than the national average, and the average Marlow household has nearly a one-third higher overall climate impact.

The report is vital to understanding Marlow’s environmental impact so that the town council and Marlow’s residents can address the real issues and track progress. 
The goal of the MEPI is to support the collective effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and to create less waste. 

Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Towns, who heads Marlow Town Council’s Environmental Committee, welcomed the new figures. 

She said: “The Index confirms that we have a lot of work to do as a community. 

“But it also shows that with a collective effort we can make substantial progress”.

The Council is planning to launch a ‘Sustainable Marlow Challenge programme’, involving and engaging with residents to make positive lifestyle changes that reduce environmental impacts. 

Jocelyn Towns continued: “The figures in the Marlow Environmental Performance Index will provide an important factual basis for this programme."

The meeting in the All Saints’ Church Parish Hall will be rearranged by the town council.