In June 2024, Calderdale MBC won The MJ Award for Leadership in Responding to the Climate Emergency. But this is not just a council award. It is recognition of a passionate, determined and brilliant team of people and partners working together to tackle climate action. As cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.'

In Calderdale we are united by the threats and impacts of climate change – we live them every day. I, like so many in our communities, know the fear – and often devastation – that comes with every weather warning, every flood alert. This gives us a strong drive to act and it is why we declared a climate emergency in 2019 and made climate action a council priority. This prioritisation puts the environment front and centre of everything we do and contributed to our award win.

Our director of public health is leading on the climate agenda locally, as we see climate and health as inseparable, and we are ensuring Calderdale's voice is heard regionally through our council leader chairing West Yorkshire Combined Authority's climate, energy and environment committee.

We are also united in our love for Calderdale's stunning natural environment, but the landscapes that make our place distinctive also create more flood risk through hills, steep-sided valleys and riverside communities. However, our strong communities have hope.

We are big on partnerships here. That is the first thing I believe led to our award win, which I would recommend other councils build on as the basis for climate action.

It starts with buy-in – at political (cross-party) and officer level. Then co-production is key. We created the Calderdale Climate Action Partnership to develop the Climate Action Plan, bringing together diverse perspectives from all sectors. We went deep into our communities, holding workshops with partners over two years and hearing more than 750 voices in our consultation.

The actions that form our three-year plan are also driven by partnership and ambition, including:

The Local Area Energy Plan – we are the first council in the country with an interactive digital twin model of the borough. It is identifying where we can decarbonise local heat and transport, improve energy efficiency in buildings and generate renewable energy. The sad reality is that many local homes suffer fuel poverty – the digital twin helps us visualise low-carbon changes and consider climate justice as we develop projects, with data helping us identify investment requirements.

The nationally-unique sphagnum moss project – funded by the National Lottery, aims to establish how to grow sphagnum moss in a nursery environment. Sphagnum replanting is critical to slowing the flow of rainwater, has been inspiring local volunteers and schools, and is being replicated by other organisations.

Natural flood management – the work to reduce flood risk, restore nature and reduce landscape carbon emissions is a huge joint effort, involving volunteers and organisations such as Slow the Flow. More than 90 sites in Calderdale have been used for natural flood management.

The £1m Climate Action Fund – in 2020, the council created a £500,000 fund for community climate action. The Community Foundation for Calderdale added a further £500,000 of endowment, enabling more voluntary groups to reduce their carbon footprint. We also owe our MJ Award success to:

Leadership and influencing: Strong leadership from our cabinet and corporate leadership team has inspired teams throughout the council to take climate action. This also contributes to our other priorities to reduce inequalities and support thriving places.

Our director of public health is leading on the climate agenda locally, as we see climate and health as inseparable, and we are ensuring Calderdale's voice is heard regionally through our council leader chairing West Yorkshire Combined Authority's climate, energy and environment committee.

I am proud to be one of 20 councillors across the UK to be part of UK100's Climate Leadership Academy, supporting skills and knowledge development to enable progress towards net zero. I will use this learning in my new role as vice-chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission.

We recognise that we sometimes need to step back and let others lead, so we have built strong multi-partner leadership, and empowerment is important.

The Climate Action Partnership has an Influencing Strategy setting out how we'll influence change, focusing on:

Retrofit – influencing change aimed at improving energy efficiency in homes.

Transport – an ambition to have a transport system with choice that works for all.

Resources – recognising funding limitations and identifying roles and responsibilities within the public and private sectors to best influence change.

As local government organisations, we all play a crucial role in achieving the UK's net-zero targets, but policy and resource barriers can limit delivery. Having an influencing strategy is key to helping overcome these and accelerate climate action.

Communication: Calderdale's Climate Action Plan focuses on the positive narrative of the great place a low-carbon Calderdale will be – how climate action builds a better future for everyone.

The plan uses plain language, easy-read versions and different languages to reach our diverse communities. Local photography, case studies and videos showcase the great work already happening, encouraging other people to see how they can play a part.

Winning The MJ Award is recognition that our voices and actions are always strongest together. Our communities can be truly proud of their tireless work, and the win gives us added hope for the next steps in our journey towards protecting our communities and creating a better Calderdale for all

Cllr Scott Patient is Calderdale MBC's cabinet member for climate action and housing