CORSHAM is to set to modernise its Environmental Policy and has tasked a team of councillors to look into more eco friendly initiatives.

Discussing fair trade and solar farms, councillors met with environmental group Transition Community Corsham (Transcoco) on Monday night and agreed to set up a task group to look at initiatives to support.

Peter Harper is a member of Transcoco, has been living in Corsham for five year and lectures at the University of Bath.

He told councillors Wiltshire needs to embrace larger initiatives such as solar farms and windmills to make significant change.

He said: “We have been told we should recycle more, wear more sweaters and do our bit. However we now need to do much more if we have only got 12 years. We need big machines, we need to tolerate them here in Wiltshire, we need to vote for them and we need to pay for them.”

Chairman of Corsham Town Council Cllr Steve Abbot said: “Chippenham have already done a lot of thinking but we’ve also got our own expertise. We need to be in contact and working with other community organisations. People like the youth council and sports clubs might be interested too.”

Wiltshire Council acknowledged a Climate Emergency, alongside Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council and BaNES during their budget setting full council meeting in February.

Corsham town council and Wiltshire Unitary Cllr Ruth Hopkinson added: “We need to make sure Wiltshire Council stick to their commitment they made. The vote wasn’t overwhelming but it was enough to get through.

“There was some reticence from senior levels about the whole project so it’s a question of not just following but providing a lead for them.”

Cllr Neville Farmer added:" The Youth Council would be really interested being involved. It would be good to extend out reach and if we can dovetail well with what Wiltshire Council is doing then it'll have better flow through. Schools may also like to get involved too."

Transcoco aims to develop local solutions to local sustainability issues, helping to address the global challenges of climate change, depleting fossil fuel resources and other environmental challenges. The team find sustainable local solutions and meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month at at 7.30pm at Pound Arts, Corsham.