COUNCILLORS have taken steps to boost Hyndburn's green credentials.

Hyndburn Council has signed up to work with One Carbon World, a global resource partner of the United Nations Climate Neutral Now initiative and a not for profit organisation.

The organisation is recognised for offering advice and support on measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

It aims to help over 25,000 organisations to achieve carbon neutrality over the next four years - a 5 per cent increase in the number of carbon credits retired worldwide.

Cllr Parkinson said: "We have made climate change a major issue for Hyndburn Council.

"At our last full council meeting there was unanimous support for declaring a climate emergency.

"I am pleased to announce the council will be working with One Carbon World to help us become carbon neutral.

"The organisation has been awarded £65 million by the UN to help reduce emissions in the public sector and achieve carbon neutrality.

"Our chief executive has secured approval for a full grant for this council to sign up and so far we are the only local authority in Lancashire to take up this offer.

"This is not some back street organisation. It's something which is direct and meaningful because we don't just want glib empty words, we want to do something for the people of Hyndburn.

"It's about how we can remodel and all do a little bit to have a major impact on what we produce in terms of carbon footprint across the borough."

Conservative group leader Cllr Tony Dobson added: "On the face of it this is fantastic and it's always good to be first.

"We always try to give cross-party support for innovative ways of working and I'm looking forward to hearing more detail."

In September, the full council backed a motion for chiefs to try to make the authority's activities net-zero carbon by 2030.

Another proposal from Cllr Sara Britcliffe was also approved to look at ways in which wildflower habitats can be planted on roadside verges, roundabouts and disused land in the borough.

Following the declaration, the Hyndburn Green Review Scrutiny Panel was formed with the express intention of looking at how the council does things and identifying improvements that could be made