I HOPE you found my series of articles on climate change to be interesting.

Indeed, this is such an important issue that I, and the portfolio holder Dyan Jones, will be holding a series of meetings throughout the district to get your ideas as to how we can jointly tackle climate change.

While we are not suggesting that we can provide a total solution, I believe that we can at least contribute to the solution in some small way.

On July 17 at 7pm in the Coronation hall, Ulverston, Dyan and I will be giving a short presentation on climate change, and how it affects Cumbria. We will describe what we are doing now to tackle the issue.

However, the main purpose of meeting is not for us to tell you what we’re doing but for us to ask you for your views. We hope to have round table discussions which will elicit your suggestions as to how we, as a community, can work together on this issue.

These suggestions will then feed into our newly-constituted Green Team, a group of council officers and members whose job on the team is to implement the best ideas that emerge at this and other meetings.

Much of the recent flooding which we have seen and expect in the future is due to the change in our climate that is caused by human behaviour. As we all know, we not only have to try to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause this change, we have to protect ourselves from the effects of climate change.

I was delighted, therefore, when the Environment Agency working in partnership with the other authorities, Network Rail and United Utilities, completed the £9.5m Town Beck scheme in North Ulverston, thereby protecting more than 400 properties and more than 100 businesses. This was a great example of collaborative working.

The Environment Agency has also looked very closely at a scheme to protect south Ulverston. Unfortunately, the appraisal and modelling on their initial scheme means that they have to "go back to the drawing board". However, I have been assured that the agency remains very positive that a scheme to reduce flooding in south Ulverston can be promoted and will be brought forward.

Climate change is affecting us all. I encourage you to come to our meetings and share your views on how we can reduce gas emissions and protect ourselves from the consequences of a changing climate.