Council campaigns

Recent and upcoming campaigns

Clean Air Night

Wednesday 24 January 2024 will mark the first-ever Clean Air Night, where we will be shining a light on the uncomfortable truth about wood burning. Up to now, it's been easy to associate the glow of a fire or wood burner with comfort, but new evidence has discovered that wood burning hurts your health, wallet and the planet. 

Clean Air Night is a chance to learn from expert voices who will be shining a light on the myths of wood burning in videos that will be shared from sundown (4:35pm). 

We will be taking part in Clean Air Night by sharing messages in our publications, on our website, social media channels and noticeboards, and you can join us!

This Clean Air Night, learn the truth about wood burning and help protect yourself, your family and your community by sharing what you've learned.  

Visit the Clean Air Hub to find out more or check out #CleanAirNight on social media. 

No Rubbish Excuses

The Council frequently receives feedback from residents regarding the cleanliness of the Borough and know they are keen for us to do more to tackle littering. We, of course, realise the majority of residents do not drop litter and are grateful for their help and support in keeping local neighbourhoods clean and tidy. There is, sadly, a small minority of selfish individuals who persistently drop litter.

The excuses for dropping litter are akin to 'my dog ate my homework', namely unbelievable because there is no excuse. If the bins are full, make the Council aware and take your litter home with you. We will be focusing our efforts on streets, parks, playgrounds, the river, wildlife and roads with the strapline #NoRubbishExcuses on posters you will see across the Borough.

During lockdown our parks, green spaces and the River Thames were utilised and valued by a huge number of people in the Borough but sadly, alongside this came a substantial increase in antisocial behaviour from some members of the public and the volumes of litter and waste being left behind exceeded anything our enforcement teams have ever had to deal with. As we step into the recovery phase for the Borough with our high streets back in business, leisure activities kick-starting and schools re-opening, we feel there is no better time to clean up Spelthorne!

There are already regular litter pick events and groups running across the Borough who are energising the community and making a real difference. Local resident Shirley Lunn who recently helped form the Spelthorne Litter Pickers group and is a proud part of the litter picking community, said: "As residents of the Borough we can all play a part in ensuring our community is clean and safe and I welcome this new campaign to spread awareness in Spelthorne. Our group is open to everyone and we have been amazed by the community's response and determination. It has also been enjoyable to meet other like-minded people from our local area. As Margaret Mead, the American anthropologist said - 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has".

The Council are showing their support by promoting these events through their communication channels and providing equipment for the pick-ups and a point of contact who arranges any help they may require to ensure the tasks are done safely and efficiently. 

For further details on the campaign and to download your own poster visit our No rubbish excuses page.

Engines Off

Spelthorne is stepping up the fight against car idling as part of the Council's desire to reduce air pollution in the Borough.

Drivers often leave their vehicle engines running whilst stationary on congested roads, at traffic lights, and waiting outside schools and businesses. However, the emissions from petrol and diesel engines contain nitrogen dioxide and particulates which are linked to asthma and other respiratory problems, as well as carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change. Leaving the engine running whilst stationary can produce double the emissions of a car in motion, and the fumes linger nearby.

The Council is working alongside the Surrey Highways Authority and Highways England to reduce engine idling. A variety of communication platforms will be used to engage with residents, schools and businesses across the Borough to promote the message that idling engines are bad for public health - particularly for children and vulnerable adults.

The Council is already taking steps to tackle air pollution and idling, which include:

• a successful bid by the Council for DEFRA funding to, encourage the uptake of electric vehicles among Taxi and Private Hire drivers
• the screening of Construction Environmental Management Plans for anti-idling measures relating to construction HGVs /staff vehicles.
• the issue of idling on Charlton Lane waiting to enter the Eco Park during busy periods has been raised with the facility after Spelthorne Pollution Control Officers observed many vehicles waiting to enter the site. The Council now has a policy to highlight idling to other businesses in the Borough.

Idling facts

• Car idling produces up to 150 balloons of harmful exhaust emissions per minute, wastes half a gallon of fuel an hour and is a major contributor to the 40,000 deaths a year linked to air pollution outlined by the Royal College of Physician
• Too much idling can damage your vehicle
• Turning off an engine and then restarting after a minute will cause less pollution
• Even modern diesel engines don't need more than a few minutes to warm up in cold weather
• Idling for an hour can waste half a gallon or more of fuel
• You do not need to keep your engine running to stay warm - your engine will stay warm for 30-60 minutes after switching the engine off

By turning off your car you can:

• Improve the air quality inside and outside your car
• Reduce pollution
• Reduce the health risks linked with toxic air like heart disease, lung cancer and asthma
• Make our streets and level crossings nicer places to walk and cycle around

Previous campaigns

Sustainability Strategy 2016-19

Information on the Council's previous work to support a sustainable Spelthorne.

Tackling climate change continues to be an important priority for the council. The climate change agreement in Paris in December 2015 agreed to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees and the need to achieve zero net global carbon emissions by the second half of this century to achieve this commitment. As such the Council has set out its aspirations in its Sustainability Strategy and Energy and Water Policy.

The Council's Sustainability Strategy 2016-19 sets out nine target areas for how the council will address the causes and consequences of climate change and support a sustainable Spelthorne:

• energy efficiency
• water efficiency
• waste and pollution
• sustainable procurement
• sustainable planning, housing, and regeneration
• sustainable transport and travel
• biodiversity and open spaces
• awareness and engagement
• risks and adaptation

Energy and Water Efficiency Policy

This policy follows on from the former Carbon Management Plan described below and states the intentions of the Council to continue to reduce energy use over the period 2015/16 to 2020/21, and to reduce water consumption. It sets the target annual reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions as 2.5%, 12.5% over the five-year period of the policy.

Carbon Management Plan

The Council's Carbon Management Plan 2012-15 set out how the council would reduce carbon emissions from our estate and operations during the period of the plan. A total of 22 projects were identified and implemented which resulted in a 24% reduction in energy use (and related GHG emissions) from a baseline year of 2009/10.

Surrey Energy Sustainability Partnership SESP

Spelthorne Council are an active member of SESP a collaborative group involving the county council, all 11 surrey boroughs, surrey police and action surrey. The groups focus is on improving energy efficiency of homes and council estates; identifying opportunities for renewable energy; developing learning for energy efficiency and sustainability in schools and understanding climate change impacts and improving climate change resilience. LINK

Environmental work at the council

Our planning department promotes the use of renewable technologies in new developments, and sets out policies and site-specific proposals for the development and use of land in Spelthorne

The environmental and public health team deals with air, land, water and noise pollution.

Our waste management team manages and delivers the Borough's refuse, recycling and green waste collection services, as well as a scheme to deal with abandoned vehicles.

Our sustainability team implements energy and water efficiency projects within our buildings, low carbon travel initiatives and promotes the council's small one-off grants to qualifying owner-occupiers to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. They also promote national grant and incentive schemes.

Our Countryside and Commons Officer manages three of our Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's) - Staines Moor, Shortwood Common and Dumsey Meadow - along with other biodiversity and conservation.

Our Applied Resilience team in partnership with the Sustainability Team coordinate flood risk management for the Borough including the water courses and riparian responsibilities and working with communities to develop their own local emergency plans.

Along with other riverside councils, we are working with the Environment Agency on the River Thames Scheme. This scheme will reduce the risk of flooding from the Thames to homes businesses and critical infrastructure (roads, sewerage network power supplies).