WORK to tackle climate change in Bracknell Forest is being pushed forward after councillors proposed creating an action group dedicated to combatting the issue.

This comes after local campaigners called on the council to do more to tackle environmental issues having been left “disappointed” by discussions around the authority’s plans to address climate change at a meeting held last month.

READ MORE: Climate campaigners urge council to take more action against climate change

Conservative councillor Tony Virgo, who is spearheading Bracknell Forest Council’s work on climate change, said he wanted a “general call to arms” on the climate change issue.

He said: “We’re in the middle of a very difficult pandemic. But the fact is, climate change is still with us and accelerating.

“The idea of the meeting [last month] was to get some momentum building.

“But I think this [issue] needs a bit more dynamism. It needs a dedicated team to look at this.

READ MORE: 'Climate change bigger issue than coronavirus', councillor says

“There has to be some scientific understanding for members in order to scrutinise these things.

“My feeling is we need to get a body going to look at this in much more detail.”

He added: “I think the residents will come with us on this. I know a lot of people who are doing a lot around conservation.

“I do think that as well as doing the technical stuff, we’ve got to sell this as a general policy to everyone around and say ‘you’ve got to do your bit’”.

Labour councillor Patricia Brown agreed with proposals to create a dedicated climate action group.

READ MORE: Council decides against climate emergency but vows to tackle environmental issues

She said: “I would like this committee on climate change to be permanent. I think there needs to be steps towards eliminating use of carbon, fossil fuels, broken down into construction, vehicles and steps within that.

“The committee does need to liaise with other authorities and I think everything we do and actions we take should have checks against equalities but also against climate change targets.”

The council’s overview and scrutiny commission unanimously agreed to Cllr Virgo’s recommendation to create a cross-party group dedicated to focusing on climate change.

Details of how the group will work will be discussed before the committee is formed.

The recommendation was made at a meeting of the commission on Wednesday, January 6.

In 2019, BFC decided against declaring a climate emergency but instead agreed it would put in place actions that work towards meeting the government target of eradicating its net contribution to climate change by 2050.