Who we are

Kirklees Climate Commission is an independent advocate dedicated to driving fair, innovative, and effective local action on climate change within the Kirklees district.

Our Commissioners are volunteers with a wide variety of experience and backgrounds, representing key parts of the district’s public and private sectors, education and community groups. Meet the members of the Kirklees Climate Commission.

Our mission

We are committed to:

• Communicating the urgency of the climate challenge and promoting local, place-based mitigation efforts.
• Establishing ourselves as a trusted, independent authority, offering advice and services essential for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Identifying and addressing gaps in the journey to net zero emissions, initiating key projects to mitigate these challenges.
• Independently monitoring and benchmarking Kirklees’ progress towards net zero emissions.
• Supporting new initiatives and partnering with organisations to facilitate equitable and effective climate action.
• Ensuring our practices embody fairness, inclusion, and diversity.

Our goals and objectives:

• Engage with the community to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the Commission’s efforts.
• Collaborate with local authorities to monitor and support the achievement of climate goals.
• Empower the community through activities, advocacy, and projects aimed at reaching net zero.
• Conduct research and gap analysis, act as a unifying force, and initiate small-scale projects to demonstrate the impact of larger initiatives.

Our definition of community: 

• We encompass all stakeholders within or impacting the Kirklees district.
• We believe in working together towards a sustainable future.

We cover the metropolitan borough of Kirklees. This includes the towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite, as well as the surrounding villages and rural areas.

Although KCC advocates effective climate action, it is not intended to be a platform for lobbying, campaigning, marketing or PR.

We work through constructive, collaborative engagement and debate and wherever possible through consensus-based decision-making. 

Partners

The Commission has two key partners, who provide vital support to our work:

• Kirklees Council provides administrative support. Kirklees Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, and is committed to achieving net zero emissions across the district by 2038.
• The University of Huddersfield provides meeting space, an office base, and access to information services. The University is committed to climate action, and regularly publishes updates on its progress.

Background

The Kirklees Climate Commission was established in July 2021 as an independent advisory body to bring actors from the public, private and third sectors together to support and guide climate actions across all parts of Kirklees. We were originally part of the Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN), a national programme which ran from 2019 to 2024.

In 2021, PCAN produced A net-zero assessment for Kirklees (pdf, 2MB). This is a detailed report showing the pathway for Kirklees to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2038. This target aligns with the climate goals of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

We have established a limited company, Kirklees Climate Ltd, to allow us to bid for funds to support our work. This company also provides the management structure for KCC.

The main Commission meets quarterly. We have also established specialist panels and working groups to support our activities and promote engagement across the Kirklees area.