Preston's People Climate Jury appointed

Local people who reflect the diverse make up of Preston have now been appointed to Preston People's Climate Jury.

The Jury members will meet over six weeks to hear from experts and work together to produce a report and recommendations, which will drive action on climate change across the city.

The Preston People's Climate Jury will be asked the question:

"How can we in Preston work together to address the opportunities and challenges of climate change in a way that is fair to everyone?" 

This has been chosen by the Climate Advisory Group - an independent panel of representatives from local government, education, housing and business sectors, as well as community and faith groups and trades unions.

Invitation letters were sent to 6,000 randomly selected households and from that 93 people expressed an interest in joining the taskforce. Out of all responses received, a group who could attend all eight sessions and that most closely matched the demographics of the local population has been chosen by independent statistical sampling experts.

The weighting slightly favours the younger generation who will be most affected by the impacts of climate change, as requested by the Climate Advisory Group.

The final cohort was selected with reference to the 2021 census so that the jury 'looks like Preston' in terms of gender, ethnicity, and disability. To further reinforce the integrity of the process, the Jury consists of people with a whole different range of views and experiences - from those who are passionately concerned about climate change to those who are less worried or feel they know little on the subject.

The Climate Jury is hosted by Preston City Council, working with specialist facilitators Shared Future CIC, with funding from the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Councillor Carol Henshaw, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said:

"In 2019, we declared a climate emergency at Preston City Council and set a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. We are committed to driving the climate change agenda forward, but can't do this without you, our residents.

We are determined that this is done in collaboration with local people, so we can be assured that the approach we take meets the needs and priorities of every Prestonian.

"The Preston People's Climate Jury will be a fascinating experience and now that the members have been selected, I am looking forward to meeting everyone at the first session and later considering the recommendations that come from the process.

To keep our wider Preston community informed about the jury's progress, we will be posting regular updates including presentations from the workshops over the next couple of months on social media and on Preston City Council's website.