COLCHESTER Council has been criticised for sending out paper newsletters months after declaring a climate emergency... with some homes receiving two or even three copies.

Kevin Bentley (Con, Marks Tey and Layer) questioned the council's decision to send out the Centurion to residents and said he had received three copies of the publication.

He asked council leader Mark Cory why copies had been both hand delivered and posted, with a return address in Liverpool, at a council meeting on Thursday.

Mr Cory (Lib Dem) said: "This is partly a mistake. Royal Mail carry out this delivery for us and there are various ways it will get to you.

"In most of the urban areas it will be via post and in the more outlying areas via direct mail.

"Clearly there was a mistake. We do not know from Royal Mail how many mistakes as they do not collect those numbers.

"We have brought this up with the communications department who run this project. We hope it will not happen again."

Mr Bentley, who is Essex County Council's deputy leader and infrastructure boss, said more radical action was needed to tackle climate change.

He said: "We passed a climate change motion and I said at the time we have got to radically start changing things.

"This kind of thing, although small, is a major part of what we have to think about. Should we produce a newspaper using paper?

"I stand ready to work with anyone about this because it is important.

"The motion was either a nice bunch of words at the time – or we really believe it."

Mr Cory said the council's conservation and environmental sustainability task and finish group was bringing forward a number of concrete initiatives which would help tackle the climate crisis.

"We are going much further than most councils," he said.

"We have a plan coming to cabinet in January and a full action plan coming to full council February."