Richmond Council is to spend part of ₤1m changing lightbulbs in a bid to reduce carbon emissions across the borough.

The exact details of the new Climate Change Fund are being thrashed out by council officers ahead of the scheme starting in the summer.

Under the plan, the council has found the money from its own coffers to reduce its carbon footprint, along with schools and residents by paying for energy efficiency and renewable power sources.

Deputy leader Stephen Knight said the fund was a key part of the council's effort to make Richmond the greenest and most sustainable borough in the country.

"In practical terms, it will meet the upfront costs of energy efficiency or renewable energy schemes, from energy saving lightbulbs to solar panels, for council buildings, schools, and the wider community," Coun Knight said.

"The fund can then be replenished by reinvesting many of the savings resulting from these investments.

"In this way it can be self-financing, allowing the fund to continue contributing to reducing emissions on an ongoing basis.

"Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today and Richmond Council seeks to set an example nationally and set a clear and consistent lead in how to counter this threat.

"Our ground-breaking scheme to link parking permit charges to emissions coupled with other initiatives underlines how serious we are in tackling this issue."

In October, the council revealed controversial plans to change parking fees to include a sliding scale of residents' permit charges depending on carbon emissions.

"We will be doing everything we can to reduce the threat posed by climate change by saving energy and cutting CO2 emissions in partnership with local communities.

"We have launched a new sustainability unit and are developing a climate change strategy aimed at drastically reducing CO2 emissions from all sources in the borough.

"The proposed new fund is designed to be a key element of this continuing drive."

The full details of the plan are expected to be presented to the civic cabinet for approval in May or June, Coun Knight said.

Friends of the Earth London campaign coordinator Jenny Bates applauded the plan.

"The council is making a good move," Ms Bates said.

"This is the sort of thing we need to be prioritising.

"Climate change is such a fundamental problem we need address."

Conservative opposition leader Nicholas True said the council's plan was light on details. "We need to know a lot more details," Coun True said. "Is it going to be financing more officers, or be for publicity for the ridiculous CPZ? "We need to see the details of the new fund before we can know whether the money is going to be taken from other services."