How Welshpool is going to tackle climate crisis

Welshpool Town Council has published a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Plan that will meet its legal obligations to protect and enhance the town’s natural environment.

From wildflower areas and when to cut grass verges to bat boxes and day-to-day working practices, the Welsh Government requires public authorities to make biodiversity an integral part of the decisions and actions that they take, and the plan will shape the way that the local authority works in the coming years.

The overall responsibility for maintaining and improving the plan sits with the Town Clerk and the Mayor, who will regularly report back to the Welsh Government on its progress.

“The expectation of Welsh Government is that all authorities, including Welshpool Town Council, will set out how they will meet requirements under the Environment Act and also work towards the goals in the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act,” explained Cllr Alison Davies, Town Mayor.

“By working as a team with the staff, we believe we have developed a clear and robust plan that has the commitment of the staff and has been adopted in its entirety by our full Town Council.

“This is not a plan for the shelf, but a working and exciting way forward for Welshpool Town Council, with numerous opportunities opening through adopting this new way of working together.”

One of the key issues addressed by the plan will be to find the right balance between ‘tidy’ verges and hedgerows whilst allowing wildlife to thrive during key times of the year.

There are also plans to create ‘pollinator plots’ across the town and spreading wildflower seeds in green spaces and roadside verges, whilst encouraging community groups and residents to do the same on their land. 

The council will also work closely with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust to place bird and bat boxes around the area.

Central to the plan will be the way that the council carries out its day-to-day work in a responsible manner through better waste management and use of natural resources. It will also stop using single use items, particularly for its meals-on-wheels service. 

To view the plan in full, click here.