COMMUNITY groups, businesses and residents are being offered the free opportunity to attend workshops in Skipton offering help and advice on cutting carbon emissions and making savings on energy bills.

The workshops, both of which will be held at SELFA in Broughton Road on May 16, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, will aim to help people create programmes to bring savings to energy bills and help cut carbon dioxide emissions.

North Yorkshire Council is working with the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to deliver a programme to help tackle climate change and reduce harmful emissions as part of the North Yorkshire UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The council, which came into being on April 1, replacing Craven District Council and North Yorkshire County Council, has allocated £780,000 for three strands of work to create a programme to support and build capacity for community climate action as well as business-based decarbonisation programmes to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.

The programmes could include grant funding for feasibility studies and low carbon measures as well as consultancy support, energy and resource audits and capital grants for adaptations.

Councilllor Greg White, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for climate change,said: “If we are to mitigate its scale and impact, climate change requires an urgent and effective response from all of us.

"These workshops aim to involve local community groups, businesses and stakeholders to get an overarching view on how the work should progress – what is required to reach net zero and the types of support that will be needed.”

A council spokesperson added: "The sessions are for those who have an interest in taking climate action, reducing energy bills and working together to develop net zero projects. Organisations that support communities are also welcome to attend.

"This is an exciting opportunity to shape a future programme for North Yorkshire – that can support communities to develop a climate action plan or impactful project.

"To ensure the programme best fit the needs of communities, the co-design sessions will unpack the current challenges communities face in relation to energy and net zero, the opportunities, types of support that should be provided, and the user journey through the programme."

The first of the two sessions, 'developing business net zero programmes' is due to take place on Tuesday, May 16 at SELFA, Broughton Road, Skipton, from 9.30am to 12 midday.

'Developing a community climate action programme' will also take place on May 16 at SELFA, in the afternoon, from 1pm to 3pm.

To sign-up to one of the workshops, log on to www.northyorks.gov.uk/UKSPF