Long-serving City Councillor Alan Clark, who died earlier this year, has received a posthumous award for his pioneering work around sustainability and focus on driving down people’s energy bills.
The LGiU Councillor Place Shaping Environment Award was presented to Alan’s wife and co-councillor, Eunice Campbell, at a ceremony at the Guildhall in London this week.
This award aims to celebrate a councillor who has shown creativity, vision and leadership in shaping their community, whether through pioneering a particular project that has improved the lives of residents, or by designing and delivering a forward-looking place-shaping strategy in partnership with the people.
The judges heard how Alan identified the significant impact that fuel poverty was having on those he represented in one of the most deprived wards in the city. This prompted Alan to take a leading role in making Nottingham one of the UK’s greenest cities, including developing the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, fitting thousands of homes with solar panels and connecting thousands of homes and businesses to the district heating system. More recently, Alan was instrumental in setting up Robin Hood Energy, the UK’s first council-owned energy company with a mission to provide low-cost electricity to households and businesses in the East Midlands and beyond.
City Council Leader Councillor Jon Collins said: “This award is richly deserved and I’m pleased that Eunice was able to accept it on Alan’s behalf. Alan was passionate about his community and wanted to make it a better place for people to live and work.
“His lasting legacy can be seen throughout the city he proudly represented, whether by the solar panels on homes across Nottingham, or by some of the most vulnerable people in our city accessing affordable energy in challenging times.”
Councillor Campbell added: “It was a real privilege to accept this award on behalf of Alan. He was a man of such intellect but someone who was so humble, kind, generous and loving.
“I’m proud of his contribution towards sustainability and tackling climate change, and all he has done to make a difference to the lives of people in Nottingham and beyond.”
Alan, who died in July following an illness, was elected to Nottingham City Council as a Labour Councillor in 1988 representing the Byron Ward until 2003 and the Bulwell Forest Ward, from 2003 until the present, alongside his wife, Councillor Eunice Campbell.
He held a number of senior positions during his 29 years of service to Nottingham City Council including the role as Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability since 2011. He took a leading role in making Nottingham one of the UK’s greenest cities, including developing the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, fitting thousands of homes with solar panels and connecting thousands of homes and businesses to the district heating system, as well as setting up Robin Hood Energy, the UK’s first council-owned energy company.