The council is set to meet on March 3, 2020 to finalise the Carbon Management Action Plan, a plan which lays the foundations for Peterborough council to become carbon neutral by 2030. This follows the declaration of a climate emergency, a motion which was unanimously voted through by city councillors last summer.

The Carbon Action Management Plan makes a number of commitments, such as replacing the mayor's car with an ultra-low emissions vehicle by January 2021, continuing to plant new trees and considering leasing additional office space to reduce energy demands. It also commits to assessing the impact of the street light dimming trial to see whether further dimming would be possible, and to review the council's electricity and gas contracts.

The plan will be adopted on March 4, 2020, and in recognition of this the council has proposed Climate Action Day. On this day, staff at the council and residents of Peterborough are being asked to take specific action to reduce their carbon impact.

Councillor Marco Cereste, cabinet member for waste, street scene and the environment, said: "The action plan is our first major step in delivering our commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. It won't be easy, but we have to take action now to reverse the trend of increasing consumption of natural resources and instead put Peterborough on the road to becoming a truly sustainable city.

"I would also support people to do their bit to support Climate Action Day on 4 March. You could cycle, walk or bus to work, lower the heating setting by a degree or two, buy only UK produced food or plant a tree at home.

"The action that we can take as a city can make a difference and it also sends out a clear message that we must all change our ways."