Three years ago, recognising the worsening climate emergency, Rother councillors agreed an extremely ambitious target to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 – 20 years ahead of the national target.

Whilst there are certainly no easy fixes, since agreeing an Environment Strategy and action plan councillors and officers have worked extremely hard to take the necessary steps to help cut the council’s carbon footprint and encourage residents to do the same.
I was extremely proud to learn that, as a result of all our efforts, Rother District Council has been named the most improved district council in England in the latest Climate Action Scorecard.
The scorecard is a result of assessments on all of the country’s councils by Climate Emergency UK, which looks at the actions they’ve taken towards net zero.
The improvement we have made since the last scorecard in 2023, where we scored 19 per cent and were ranked 50th out of 51 district councils is incredible.
This time around, Rother scored an amazing 50 per cent and has been rated 9th out of 51 district councils.
Despite our success, we know that we still have a lot of work to do and we continue to consider carbon emissions and environmental impacts in every decision, take steps to reduce our carbon emissions, and encourage residents to consider their own carbon footprint.
This week the second round of funding for community orchards has been made available.
The money is to be used to establish urban micro woods and community orchards, which will have a positive effect on the local environment and the health and wellbeing of residents.
The first round of funding in 2024/25 led to 10 community orchards and micro woods being planted across the district including 131 new fruit and nut trees.
The funding Coronation Community Orchard Grant Scheme is being funded from DEFRA’s Coronation Living Heritage Fund, from which Rother was awarded nearly £50,000.
Non-profit organisations can apply for grants of £500 to £5,000 towards the costs of planting at least 5 fruit or nut trees in a new or existing community orchard.
As well as helping to tackle climate change in our district, planting community orchards and micro woods also provide more habitats for pollinator species and other wildlife which gives a real boost to the biodiversity of an area.
I would encourage local groups and organisations to see how they can get involved and if they are eligible for funding but visiting Coronation Community Orchard Grants Scheme – Rother District Council
We are in for some warmer weather this weekend with temperatures expected to reach the high 20s on the coast and, as a result, we expect our beaches to be busy.
I want to assure residents that we continue to work closely with the RNLI, emergency services, East Sussex County Council and others to make sure weekends over the summer run smoothly; that visitors are able to enjoy our beautiful beaches safely and that disruption to residents’ lives is kept to a minimum.
Ends
Published: 11th July 2025