Council and democracy

Housing partners sign up to green charter

A green charter has been developed by Croydon with its repairs partners, EPS and Mears, and Lovell and Mulalley, who are undertaking the council's multimillion pound kitchen and bathroom refurbishment programme, to improve their environmental performance.

By signing up to the pact, senior executives from each organisation have pledged to "minimise resource consumption and promote sustainability in all we undertake."

The environmental charter commits them to make improvements in five areas: recycling, reducing mileage, saving energy, saving water and reducing waste.

In particular, each partner will:

• identify their carbon footprint and work toward reducing it
• reduce waste going to landfill from regeneration and repair activities
• work with suppliers and contractors to use sustainable sourced materials, where possible
• raise awareness of the environmental issues associated with the works being undertaken and relate these to all those involved in the partnership.

Cllr Dudley Mead, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, said: "We all know that the issues of creating a more sustainable environment is a local as well as a worldwide issue and we, as a council, must ensure we play our part by setting an example in our own practices and taking energy efficiency into account in the decisions we make.

"We recognise the impacts construction and repairs activities can have on our environment and by developing this environmental charter we, alongside our partners, are showing our commitment to improving Croydon's environment for all our residents."

Earlier this year Croydon launched its environmental and sustainability strategy to further reduce the carbon footprint of its housing stock and to aim towards achieving zero carbon council homes.