A council will spend £1 million to tackle climate change.

Councillors have committed to investing money to make Maidstone carbon neutral.

A cross-party biodiversity and climate change working group, which was set up by Maidstone Borough Council to review pollution in the town, was tasked with producing an action plan to combat the issue.

It will be given £1m of capital expenditure to implement it.

Details of the proposal are being developed and will be presented to the policy and resources committee in April.

It will explain what projects and initiatives the money will be spent on.

The group is in the process of gathering information about emissions from council activities including buildings and vehicles.

It has also sought out the views of young people, residents, landowners and land managers on ways to restore lost biodiversity and address the unfolding climate emergency.

The information collected will be used to create the plan which aims to reduce emissions to net zero by 2030.

Cllr Martin Cox leader of Maidstone Borough Council said: "In April 2019 Maidstone Borough Council declared twin emergencies in biodiversity and climate change and this funding demonstrates our commitment towards tackling this national emergency.

"This funding will make a huge difference. It is our small contribution to fighting climate change globally."

A climate emergency was declared by the local authority in April 2018, the first in Kent to do so.

The decision came after Friends of Earth found Upper Stone Street generates the fifth highest level of pollution in the country, outside of London.

Other councils have since followed suit.

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