Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission
Promoting a just transition to a green, fair and growing economy
The Cheshire and Warrington Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission was set up by the Subregional Leaders’ Board in November 2020, with the aim of building on progress to date to help realise Cheshire and Warrington’s ambition of becoming the most sustainable and inclusive subregion in the UK. After a period of research, engagement, and consultation a final report with ambitious recommendations is available.
The Commission has been working on four themes: Inclusive Economy, Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Land Use, and Net Zero. For each of these themes the Commission has developed an evidence base for Cheshire and Warrington’s current position, a vision representing where the Commission believes the subregion should aim to be and a set of recommended actions to achieve these visions.
The Commission is now promoting its final recommendations to stakeholders, residents and businesses to invite collaboration on achieving its aims.
Recommendations made by the commission include:
- A fair employment charter for Cheshire and Warrington
- The decarbonisation of dairy
- The full decarbonisation of all transport by 2035
- Building the UK’s First Net Zero industrial cluster around the area’s large hydrogen and net zero projects
- Public investment to address disadvantage and target opportunities
- Improve active travel and public transport
- Provide new infrastructure/ support for electric cars and zero-emission vehicles to make them cost effective and accessible
- Work with businesses, public sector and agriculture to speed up the transition to a circular economy
- Retrofitting insulation and clean energy to housing, particularly for social housing and disadvantaged households
- Access to digital for all
- Making current land use net zero
In Cheshire and Warrington we already have some great collaborations between local councils, communities and companies delivering projects that are working towards our recommendations:
Examples in and around Cheshire East
Examples in and around Cheshire West and Chester
Case Studies
Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Cheshire and Warrington: Final Report
The Cheshire and Warrington Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission was set up with the aim of contributing towards realising Cheshire and Warrington’s ambition of becoming the most sustainable and inclusive subregion in the UK. Its work has been divided into collation, planning, engagement and promotion phases, with this final report produced in September 2022.
Download the ReportThe following Environment Justice report and framework were produced following the Commission’s recommendations regarding inclusivity and follows the development of the Inclusivity Assessment Toolkit by colleagues at the University of Chester.
Inclusivity was one of the core recommendations in the SIGC 2022 report as well as ensuring inclusivity assessments inform decision making across the subregion in relation to environmental sustainability and to encourage the extension of the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010 (utilising appropriate equality impact assessments) and to include consideration of socio-economic disadvantage.
Inclusive Environments: Designing a Framework for Environmental Justice (Summary Report)
As we move on from COP28 and the world continues to seek to demonstrate commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals in a meaningful way, there is a clear need to ensure that disproportionate environmental burdens don’t continue to fall on already marginalised groups within society.
Download the report
Inclusive Environments: Environmental Justice Framework
Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing focus on ensuring that organisations (both public and private) seek to ensure that decision making around environmental challenges and sustainability is carried out in accordance with an ‘environmental justice’ approach.
Download the framework document
Cheshire and Warrington Fair Employment Charter
We have received views on our Cheshire and Warrington Fair Employment Charter through a consultation which took place earlier this year. We heard the voices of all organisations with an interest in the charter, so that we could incorporate the feedback into the Charter development, to promote the benefits and good practice in fair employment across the sub-region, and find out whether there is support for implementing this in Cheshire and Warrington.
Find out moreSIGC Journey to Net Zero
SIGC Journey To Net Zero 4 November 2022
DATE ADDED: 11/9/2022 9:44:21 AM
Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission Briefing Pack and Terms of Reference
SIGC Briefing Pack And TOR
DATE ADDED: 10/22/2021 8:11:39 PM
The Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission Members
Cllr Sam Corcoran
Joint Chair. Leader, Cheshire East Council.
Sam Corcoran has been the Leader of Cheshire East Council since May 2019.
Robert Davis
Joint Chair. CEO, EA Technology
Robert is the Chair and CEO of EA Technology.
Professor Chantal Davies
Professor of Law, Equality and Diversity/Director Forum for Research into Equality and Diversity, University of Chester
After graduating with a Law degree from Oxford University, Chantal Davies qualified as a solicitor with Eversheds in Cardiff specialising in Employment, Human Rights and Discrimination Law.
Mark Howden
Chief Executive, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust
Mark joined Peaks & Plains Housing Trust in May 2019 as Director of Place and was appointed Chief Executive in July 2020 following a period as Interim CEO.
Adrian Curry
Executive Director and Chief Decarbonisation Officer, EET Fuels
Having recently finished a twenty-year career in the glass industry, with Encirc, where Adrian grew the business from a start up to the scale it is today, he has now joined EET in a senior executive role.
Rachel Shorney
Stakeholder and Community Engagement Officer, Scottish Power Energy Networks
Rachel is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with over 30 years of experience in the electricity distribution industry, having worked for BICC Power Cables and then Manweb, now SP Energy Networks, since before privatisation in 1990.
James Hall, MRICS
Estates Manager, Cholmondeley Estates
As a Chartered Surveyor, James has practiced in Cheshire and the North West for 30 years after graduating from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. is on increasing biomass and sequestering carbon.
Helena Anderson
Founder and COO, Ikigai Capital
Helena founded Ikigai, a Net Zero investment consultancy, accelerator and developer, in December 2017 after two years at the UK Department for International Trade, where she was head of energy capital investment.
Cllr Janet Henshaw
Councillor, Cabinet Member, Sustainability and Climate Change
Janet Henshaw was first elected as a Councillor for Warrington Borough Council in May 2021.
Richard Beacham
Councillor, Newton and Hoole Ward, Cheshire West and Chester Council
Councillor Richard Beacham represents the Newton and Hoole ward in Chester on Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Annette McDonald
Director of Sustainability & Partnerships, Tatton Estates
Annette has previously served on the former LEP board and she brings a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the political landscape in Cheshire and Warrington.
Yulanda Duff
Co-Chair, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership Engagement Board
Senior Project Consultant, CEO The Millennial Introvert Lifestyle. Yulanda's passions lie in innovation in the workplace and looking to the future in order to shape the present.