Preston’s climate change jury selected

The climate change march in Fishergate during Friday Pic: Jack Dinsley — A climate change march in Fishergate. Pic: Jack Dinsley

Local people have now been selected to be part of ‘Preston People’s Climate Jury’, which will meet over six weeks to discuss the impacts of climate change.

Invitation letters were sent to 6.000 randomly-selected households and 93 people expressed an interest.

Out of the responses, statistical sampling experts chose a group that could attend all sessions and who matched the demographics of Preston.

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

However, the people selected reflect the diverse make-up of Preston and the different attitudes to the topic, with reference to the 2021 census so the jury ‘looks like Preston’ regarding gender, ethnicity and disability.

They also represent a full range of views, from people who are passionate about climate change to those less worried and who know little about the subject.

No details are being released about who the individuals are, Blog Preston understands, to allow them to speak their minds during sessions.

Over the weeks they will hear from experts, and work together to produce a report and recommendations which aims to drive change across the city.

The council will work with Shared Future, a not-for-profit community interest company and also have funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF), with the meetings taking place at Preston Town Hall and the University of Central Lancashire.

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 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.”

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