MORE than 100 pairs of shoes were placed outside Shropshire Council’s headquarters this morning by activists who say the authority has failed to make significant progress in the year since it declared a climate emergency.

The shoes were left in front of Shirehall by Extinction Rebellion members, who wore face masks and gloves and practised social distancing during the protest.

Saturday is the first anniversary of the day members of the authority voted to make the declaration, but campaigners claim little has been achieved since.

This is however disputed by the council, which insists many positive steps had been taken in the past 12 months towards reducing its carbon footprint.

“Each pair of shoes represents a Shropshire resident who wanted to be here to protest today but couldn’t because of the lockdown,” said Jamie Russell, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury.

“We may not be able to gather like we did a year ago, but we can still hold Shropshire Council to account.

“Their lack of urgent response to the climate emergency that they themselves voted to declare a year ago is shameful. We need actions not empty words.”

A joint statement signed by Extinction Rebellion groups from across Shropshire, including Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Ludlow, Bishop’s Castle and Clun, Telford and Wenlock Edge, called on the authority to commit to more decisive action going forward to see the council, and the county, become carbon neutral as soon as possible.

They said: “We hoped that Shropshire Council would show leadership and declare an emergency for our county. But, declaring a climate emergency is easy. The essential hard work comes afterwards.

“Over the last year, Shropshire’s elected council has failed us. It has wasted 12 months on dither and delay.

“It continues to promote climate-wrecking infrastructure like the North West Relief Road, instead of investing in sustainable public transport.

“The county’s pension fund remains invested in fossil fuel companies like BP and Shell.”

The groups acknowledged the “hard work” of council officers on the climate change task force, but said the few tangible changes, such as a commitment to upgrade street lights to LED, were tantamount to “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic”.

The statement said the climate emergency needed to be “at the heart of everything in Shropshire” if the council hoped to meet its own targets of reducing carbon output by 7.6 per cent each year to become carbon neutral by 2030.

It added: “Shropshire was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. We could be the centre of green revolution, giving our economy an incredible boost and creating sustainable jobs for local people.

“For that to happen, though, we need a council that is willing to show bold political leadership instead of being all talk and no action.”

The authority’s only Green Party councillor Julian Dean said the council’s own carbon footprint was a small part of the county-wide picture, but added: “It is crucial because the council can lead by example and help develop the infrastructure to take the rest of the county with it, but the council must also lead the rest of us.”

He called on the council to produce a costed plan outlining how it aims to reach net zero carbon within a decade.

“Each project needs a timeline, a financial budget and a carbon budget,” he said.

“While other councils have dedicated budgets for this work, we don’t. Other councils have published details, but we still just only have a ‘strategy’ which sets the right priorities but doesn’t do the detail.”

Councillor Dean said progress had been too slow since the council declared a climate emergency last year, with the climate action partnership that was promised at the time still yet to be established.

He said: “The partnership is needed to help us all change the way we travel, work, heat our homes, shop and eat, remembering that all these changes, if done right, can make us healthier, better connected and happier.”

Campaigners are now urging the council to put its environmental responsibility at the heart of its plans to get the county back up and running after the coronavirus pandemic.

Councillor Dean said it was an opportunity to commit to a “green recovery plan.

Shropshire’s Extinction Rebellion groups also supported this approach. Their statement said: “The recent lockdown has shown how much can change, and how quickly, when the world needs to respond to a crisis.”

The council said work had been ongoing for many years to reduce its carbon footprint, with carbon emissions down 26 per cent since 2012.

Councillor Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for climate change, said in the last year steps had been taken to make carbon reduction a consideration in all operations.

He said: “Climate action appraisals are now compulsory in all key council decisions, forcing climate impact to be considered and criteria to be met.

“We are working across council services to develop and implement design guidance for new council buildings, and to improve the performance of existing ones.

“We have also provided key staff with carbon literacy training to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to reduce carbon emissions across the council.”

Councillor Carroll said community and stakeholder involvement was important in developing climate action plans, with workshops held earlier this year described as “extremely positive”.

He also highlighted the council’s success in installing renewable energy capacity, for which Shropshire was ranked fifth in a national government table compiled last year. Since September all the council’s electricity has been supplied by renewable sources.

The authority said it was working with Telford & Wrekin Council on developing a climate action partnership.

Councillor Carroll said enhancing wildlife was another important step, with work including planting trees and restoring carbon storing soils and wetlands.

He also revealed the council was looking to permanently sustain higher levels of home working, following the “undoubted climate benefits” resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, and that the cycle to work scheme had been refreshed.

On sustainable transport, Councillor Carroll highlighted recent positive trials of electric buses and a successful funding bid for further improvements. The council soon hopes to electrify Shrewsbury’s bus fleet and is working on a new park and ride strategy to “compliment active travel” in the town, he said.

He added: “We are also exploring opportunities to electrify our own vehicle fleet and provide greater opportunities for staff to access climate friendly vehicles for work and personal use.

“We are developing a corporate climate change strategy and an annual action plan which will set out the key areas where the council will focus its efforts and specific projects which will move us closer to our goal of net-zero performance.

“It takes time to make sure the right things are done that will have the optimal and most sustainable impact. We are working hard to become a carbon neutral council by 2030 and are confident we will achieve this goal.”