Warrington Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and soon afterwards created the Warrington Climate Emergency Commission to set the direction for how the town responds. This is set out in the Climate Emergency Strategy, which was developed in close consultation with interested and affective groups, as well as a range of stakeholders from across the town. Input from young people was limited however. Warrington Community Conversations aimed to gain young people’s (aged 16-20) views in response to the question:
What can we all do to prepare for and reduce the impacts of climate change, whilst making our town a better place to live?
What did we do?
As part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living programme, Involve, Forum for the Future, Ipsos and Quantum Strategy & Technology ran a Community Conversation.The starting point was about building on local strengths and assets, rather than the framing of ‘reaching net zero’.
A mixed method approach to recruitment was used to recruit 17 young people aged 16-18. This included sharing the opportunity through local youth-focused organisations, distributing posters/leaflets and posting on social media. Specialist recruiters were also commissioned.
Participants were recruited from across the town and particular focus was on including people from outlying wards where engagement has been less common in the past. A number participants were recruited in pairs, which allowed some people to participate who otherwise would have felt uncomfortable.
Through four in-person sessions, the group of young people learnt about climate change, local impacts and the co-benefits of action from a range of speakers. Over three weeks between sessions, conversation starters led over 70 discussions with friends and family about what would make Warrington an even better place to live in future. The group used what they had heard from speakers, as well as the wider community, to agree a vision and set of actions for Warrington in 2040.
Inclusive Practices
Members of the group were given a £405 gift of thanks for participating in all sessions, to make participation accessible to all and in recognition of their time. Travel and any additional costs to enable full participation were also covered. Some participants were recruited in pairs to offer mutual support and enable people to participate who might otherwise have felt uncomfortable. Recruitment also focused on including people from outlying wards.
Innovations
This project was designed around asset-based conversations which start from the principle of building out from what is important to people, rather than being driven by an ‘outside in’ agenda of reaching net zero. Conversation starters were trained to put this into practice, by starting discussions in their community on what makes Warrington unique and how this can be built on in future. Throughout the process the group worked alongside a local artist, Sarah Harris, to bring their vision to life through virtual reality. This enabled the vision to be tangible and tied to three specific locations; the City Centre, River Mersey and Longford, in Warrington and acted as a communication tool with decision makers.
What resulted?
The group worked together to deliberate and agree:
A vision statement of a climate-resilient Warrington in 2040
A set of seven priority recommendations for how to achieve this specifically for the local areas of the River Mersey, City Centre and Longford
The seven priority recommendations covered actions around improving recycling, greening public and abandoned spaces, car free zones, flood defences and green jobs.
Some of these recommendations are directly related to adaptation and how the town can prepare for the impacts of climate change. These include calls for more green spaces to improve air quality and flood defences to help decrease the chances of flooding. The group also recommended promoting green jobs.
The wider recommendations include improving the area around the Mersey, incentivising small local businesses to generate the local economy and fund the recommendations. Alongside outdoor communal areas through introducing outdoor seating and a cafe.
What was the impact?
Climate Impact
In response to the group’s recommendations, Warrington Climate Emergency Commission (WCEC) will publish the report on the Community Conversations on their website. The WCEC will publish a formal response for the participants on the vision, setting out how the findings will be shared and promoted to relevant stakeholders and the wider community to encourage action in response. The young people will be invited to present their vision to Warrington’s Cabinet. They will also seek to set up a Warrington Youth Climate Forum and invite a youth representative to join the Commission.
Social Impact
The young people agreed that they had more knowledge of the local climate change response at the end of the process but some lacked confidence that their input would be acted upon. Impacts they hoped to see for themselves and their households included:
‘More ways in which we can help on a small scale’
‘Help my household understand the severity of climate change’
‘More people will pay attention to climate change which could affect us. People will help support the project or changes to help with climate change or make us a better town.”
Internal impact
‘The work has acted as a useful agent for engagement with stakeholders and decision-makers. It has gained traction as an evidence base for climate change work from local elected representatives and council officers working in a variety of services, e.g., public health.’