Climate Change & Biodiversity
Please view the Town Council’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Action Plan and actions taken to date.
There is a small working group of Councillors and interested parties who meet, online, on a monthly basis. If you would like to join the group, please get in touch. Notes from the meetings can be found at the bottom of the page.
The Town Council supports the campaigns of Litter Free Dorset, which include Only Rain Down the Drain, single-use vapes and Bin Your Butt.
We are also working towards a Plastic Free Blandford Forum…
Blandford Forum Town Council was approached by the voluntary organisation, Blandford War on Waste for support in working towards Blandford Forum becoming a plastic free community. This was supported by Councillors at the council meeting held on 31 July 2023. There is a process we need to follow to achieve plastic free community status and we need you to be a part of that.
What do we mean by ‘plastic free’?
This can be confusing and misleading because plastic is a well established part of our lives. This campaign focuses on single-use plastic such as bottles, bags, take-away boxes/cutlery and coffee cups. As a society we have become dependent on the convenience single-plastic provides. We can bring about change by rethinking and exploring alternative solutions and encouraging change. It isn’t about judgement, it’s about reaching out and working together. We know lots of local businesses and organisations are already doing so much to reduce waste and we would love for you to sign up to the campaign!
Join the movement to help free where we live from single-use plastic!
Wherever you are on your plastic-free journey, please follow this link:
https://forms.office.com/e/NH7gK4B7yC to complete the pledge. Over 380 plus towns and communities have plastic-free community status and it is our turn!
If you would like to discuss how we can work together as a community to change, and how your organisation can become part of this exciting and important initiative, please come and meet representatives from the Town Council and War on Waste at the Community Expo in the Corn Exchange on Saturday 24th February 2024 at 10am.
These are the steps we need to work through in order to achieve plastic free community status (and some have already been completed):
– Engage the local council COMPLETED
– Work with businesses to help them reduce at least three single-use plastic items. IN PROCESS
– Inspire the wider community to spread the plastic-free message, including sports clubs, youth groups, schools, churches, local groups and organisations. IN PROCESS
– Run at least two community events to raise awareness of the campaign locally (e.g. Clean-Up Blandford litter picks). IN PROCESS
– Form a group of local stakeholders. We have a working group established, but we would love to have more members. COMPLETED
Support for the Zero Hour Climate and Ecology Bill
At the full council meeting held on Monday 27th November 2023, Councillors considered a request from an organisation called Zero Hour, seeking Blandford Forum Town Council’s support for the Climate and Ecology Bill.
Councillors resolved to;
- Support the Climate and Ecology Bill;
- Inform local residents, and local press/media of this decision;
- Write to Simon Hoare MP to inform them that this motion has been passed, urging them to sign up to support the CE Bill;
- Write to Zero Hour, the organisers of the cross-party campaign for the CE Bill, expressing its support.
Notes from Working Group Meetings (for notes prior to 2023 please contact us):
