July 2024

5 Buckden Roundabout July 2024 From your District Councillor Dear Residents, I ’ m pleased to share updates on some green initiatives in Huntingdonshire that are accessible to residents of Buck- den, Diddington, and Southoe. In my view, we need to create more avenues for the younger generation to ex- plore and benefit from green technologies. Additionally, it ’ s essential for all of us to stay informed about the district ’ s and wider efforts in addressing cli- mate change. By working together, we can create posi- tive change for our environment, save money on energy and protect future generations. SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT SECURED TO AD- VANCE THE FUTURE OF GREEN SKILLS IN HUNTINGDONSHIRE Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is celebrating the opening of the East Anglia Energy Academy in St Ives, which will bring forward new jobs, skills and investment into the district. The East Anglia Energy Academy, a joint venture between Reed Environment and Oxford Energy Academies (OEA), a leading provider of energy training courses, aims to attract more young people onto the trades skills career path and encourage established tradespeople to upskill, with a focus on renewable energy. The council ’ s Invest in Huntingdonshire team has worked with Reed Environment over the last six months to identi- fy a suitable site for their second national academy to help assess and retrofit social housing stock. Reed Envi- ronment ’ s ambition is to become the largest network of green skills training providers in the UK to support an enabled workforce with the skills they need to thrive in the transition to the green economy. The Invest in Huntingdonshire team conducted a proper- ty site search, provided an overview of the local trades and economy that would help identify and support the enrolment of local business owners to sign up to training at the new Academy. The support the team provided enabled Reed Environ- ment to win significant local contracts that accelerated their timeline. As a result, the Academy will open this September and support 150 apprentices and 400 adult learners by September 2025. Located in St Ives, with easy access to the M11 corridor and out to Suffolk and Norwich, the state - of - the - art new skills centre will offer a wide range of training courses, assessments, and qualifications across gas, electrical, plumbing, oil, and renewable energy skills. DISTRICT COUNCIL LAUNCHES ONLINE CLI- MATE HUB Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) has launched an Online Climate Hub as result of feedback from local peo- ple. The 2023 Climate Conversation events invited local busi- nesses, residents, parish councils and environmental groups to gather and discuss Climate Change and Hun- tingdonshire ’ s environment. Feedback from these ses- sions showed a clear wish for a platform where this col- laboration could continue, leading to the Online Climate Hub. The hub is split into 12 sections showing what HDC is do- ing to tackle climate change, resources for local authori- ties, information on biodiversity, funding opportunities and much more. The Online Climate Hub supports the goals of the coun- cil ’ s Climate Strategy and Climate Action Plan. The hub serves as a platform that will encourage and enable our communities to tackle climate change, in turn helping the Council achieve its ambition of becoming Carbon Net Ze- ro by 2040. View the Online Climate Hub here: https:// letstalkhuntingdonshire.net/hub - page/online - climate - hub Wishing you well, Martin Martin Hassall District Councillor for Buckden, Diddington and Southoe Phone: 07480 798 342 Email: martin.hassall@huntingdonshire.gov.uk