Climate change will be pushed up the agenda of Barrow Council this autumn.

An action plan will be drawn up setting out how the community can help in the battle against climate change.

Council leader Ann Thomson won unanimous backing for her climate emergency motion tabled at meeting in the town hall yesterday.

It commits the council to recognising the climate emergency, setting up a working group and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, which are blamed on heating up the planet.

The meeting heard that Barrow was way behind on providing electric car charging points and that it needed to plant more trees and discourage supermarkets from an over-reliance on plastic packaging.

Councillors on the ruling Labour benches donned specially-made rosettes featuring a bee to show solidarity for the environmental cause.

Councillor Thomson said a report would go to the council to explain how the authority, businesses and residents, can do their bit.

Coun Thomson, the Labour member for Hindpool, said: “Although there are still dissenters, most people agree that climate change is happening.

“The Government have passed a climate change emergency and a lot more councils far bigger than us, have done the same.

“There is still a lot of work to be done but I think this is a starting point from which we can achieve great things as a council.”

Coun Hazel Edwards, leader of the opposition Conservatives, supported the motion and welcomed the commitment to more action.

But she said the council needed to encourage others around the world to play their part including Russia, North Africa and China.

If they did not follow suit, it undermined the work being done by the UK, said Coun Edwards, the Conservative member for Hawcoat.