Councillors on Godmanchester Town Council have voted unanimously to support a motion calling on the Government to declare a Climate Emergency.

The council joins hundreds of local authorities across the country aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and calling for action on "climate breakdown".

The council released a statement after a meeting, held on January 16, in which it said it wanted to work with the community to achieve its aims.

Councillors say they want to "take all necessary and practical actions to combat the threat from climate change".

The council joins more than 400 local authorities across the country who have made the move to declare a "climate emergency" in order to put pressure on the Government to take "immediate action" on the issue.

Town mayor, Dick Taplin, said: "It is essential that we do not simply pay lip-service to this urgent need, and we shall now move forward rapidly to address the problems within our own organisation. This will be done alongside setting up a framework for local businesses and individuals to contribute to solving the problem."

Councillors have said the first steps will include: conducting a full carbon audit within town council operations; making an inventory of actions taken to date and assessing what further changes are needed; creating a community-wide forum in order to assist business and individuals to achieve zero-carbon operations; ensuring that council decisions, such as procuring goods and services, consider their environmental impact; and investigating funding sources to achieve our community aims.

Cllr Taplin added: "This council declaring for "climate emergency" is a first step to focus attention on what we, as civic representatives, wish to achieve for our community, our world and our children."

In March last year, St Neots Town Council voted to declare a "climate emergency" but in April, the same motion put before councillors sitting on Huntingdon Town Council was defeated, but councillors did back a corporate plan on climate policy to lower emissions and create a more sustainable environment.