Thank you to everyone who filled out St Bees Parish Council’s questionnaire earlier this year, which looked at possible environmental projects in the parish. The results below were published in the September edition of St Bees News.

“There were 92 responses to the questionnaire and the main results were:

The top five responses to a list of possible projects and facilities to be developed were: 1 Bus route  2 Local produce events  3 Repair café  4 Community renewable energy scheme  5 Public electric vehicle charging points

When asked to prioritise the listed projects and facilities, the top 5 responses were: 1 Bus route  2 Public electric vehicle charging points  3 Community renewable energy scheme  4 Repair café  5 Local produce events

Other suggestions for possible projects included those related to public transport and active travel; roads and traffic; waste, recycling and litter; land use and planning.

Responses also provided further support for existing projects: the proposed off-road cycle track from St Bees to Mirehouse, tree planting and wildflower planting.

Residents who completed the questionnaire were generally supportive of the Parish Council taking action to address climate change: 58% felt it was very important to address climate change locally and for the Parish Council to take action and a further 20% felt it important to do so. Just 4% felt it was not important at all.

Cost, uncertainty about what actions to take and that other options are unavailable were the top three barriers given by residents for not making further changes to address climate change.

There was also significant interest to find out more about energy saving at home, wildlife friendly gardening, and reducing food waste and composting.

Sixteen people expressed interest in being contacted to help with future projects related to climate change and nature recovery.

While the Parish Council may not be able to take all the suggestions forward, our Climate Change Working Group will use the results of the questionnaire to guide the projects that they now explore.

Background to the project

Both the National Association of Local Councils and Cumbria Association of Local Councils encourage parish and town councils to take local action to tackle climate change and increase biodiversity. St Bees Parish Council formed a Climate Change Working Group in 2023. The Parish Council Climate Change Toolkit provides ideas for projects, but encourages parish councils to involve their residents in choosing projects for consideration.”