Inspiring Leaders programme gets underway

Inspiring Leaders is a new Climate Skills Programme aimed at elected members of local authorities in the East Midlands and is delivered directly by Climate East Midlands. There are three elements to it:

• Briefing sessions for members have been offered to all 46 local authorities prior to Council meetings
• Interested members are being invited to all of the Climate Skills Programme concluding events to hear about what's been learnt over the last few months of intensive activity
• Portfolio Holders for Climate Change are being invited to host Inspiring Visits for members of other councils where their council has a good story to tell.

Blaby District Council (Leicestershire) was the first to take up the offer of a pre-Council briefing in December, followed by West Lindsey and South Holland District Councils (Lincolnshire) in January. Coming up in the next few weeks include Boston and North Kesteven Borough Councils (Lincolnshire), Lincolnshire County Council, Derby City Council, Mansfield District Council (Nottinghamshire) and Daventry District Council (Northamptonshire).

We're also pleased to be supporting Lincoln City Council's Climate Change Conference during Climate Week on Wednesday 14th March.

The aim of the programme is to bring members up to speed with the latest national and regional developments on climate change, discuss what's been achieved over recent years by local action and invite members to renew their commitment by signing up to the new Climate Local initiative when it's launched in April 2012. This is the new version of the Nottingham Declaration - itself a success story from the East Midlands. Read more on the LGA website here

The programme also makes the case for why tackling climate change is important even in a time of austerity - it's about saving money, becoming more efficient, building local resilience and supporting the development of the low carbon and well adapting economy.

Contact Mike Peverill for more details, M: 07854 284 588 or E: mike.peverill@emcouncils.gov.uk