‘Jury’ to advise Leeds council on climate issues

A so-called “jury” of 25 people selected at random is set to guide Leeds City Council on its future policies on climate change.

The Leeds Climate Change Jury, which was set up by Leeds Climate Commission, had its first meeting this month and is set to meet throughout the autumn.

A report set to go before members of the council’s climate emergency advisory committee, says the group will take advice from climate change experts and advise the council on what it feels should be done.

It follows Leeds City Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency earlier this year.

The report states: “Most people accept climate change is real but are unsure what it means for them and what impacts it will have on where they live. In March, Leeds City Council declared a climate emergency.

“The Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury is one of several ways that Leeds residents can share their views on how people and organisations of Leeds could take action to respond to the emergency of climate change. In deciding how we in Leeds best address this enormous problem it is essential that we hear directly from the residents of Leeds.”

The jury was chosen by randomly selecting 4,000 addresses from the Royal Mail’s database and asking for responses from those who were interested. From this, 25 people were selected, which organisers claim broadly reflects gender, age, ethnicity and disability diversity in the district.

The report will be discussed by Leeds City Council’s climate emergency advisory committee on Wednesday, September 25.