THE county’s Liberal Democrats have launched their campaign for this year’s county council elections.

Kicking off their campaign, the party has pledged to declare a climate emergency, commit to more spending on green infrastructure and a focus on becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Cllr Dan Boatright, speaking for the group, said: “I have been surprised by the limited focus our local councils have shown when addressing climate change.

“Whilst producing glossy ‘Green Plans’ and publicly declaring commitments to tackle climate change, our local area has seen a continued increase in development that is neither carbon neutral, nor sustainable.

“We will bring a climate emergency motion to council immediately, with real solutions to the problems we are facing.”

“The council must change. We have a great range of experts leading our campaign and we are excited at the prospect of being elected to county to make a significant.

“I am a Geography and Geology teacher and have been teaching climate change for years, as well as sitting on national committees on how to reduce our impact on the climate.

“We have doctors, health care professionals, town planners, financial specialists and business owners running as candidates across the county, all with expertise that can help us bring the County’s carbon emissions down”.

The party pledges to increase recycling rates to match the best councils in the country, to improve cycling and walking infrastructure so that people have the option not to drive, to increase the biodiversity of Worcestershire by working with residents and community groups, and fight unsustainable development.

The County Council elections are on Thursday, May 6.