Climate change strategy for 2025 to 2030 Aim 1: net zero

Aim 1: Reduce net council emissions to zero as close to 2030 as possible

Things the council has already done:

  • invested over £1 million in energy efficiency upgrades to buildings, installed solar panels on around 20 council sites and moved streetlighting to LEDs
  • transitioned a portion of the council’s fleet to EVs
  • introduced a Social Value Policy for procurement with a range of climate measures
  • developed a 10-point climate action plan with highways contractor Ringway

Key objectives

  1. Reduce energy and water use in council buildings.
  2. Decarbonise the council estate by using renewable energy sources and replacing equipment which uses oil or gas.
  3. Phase out fossil fuel vehicles in our and our contractors’ fleets.
  4. Support sustainable staff travel.
  5. Reduce emissions from the goods and services the council buys or outsources.
  6. Reduce emissions from council investments - make sure investments don’t support fossil fuels and are used to invest in local decarbonisation, where possible.

Priority actions

A1. Create and implement a Decarbonisation Plan to show how the council will reduce its energy use and make sure the estate reaches net zero.

A2. Replace all cars and small vans in the council and contractors’ fleets with electric vehicles, and consider zero or lower emissions options for larger vehicles.

A3. Update the council’s Travel Plan to build in more support for sustainable travel, and trial schemes to support staff such as EV leasing or more pool EVs they can borrow.

A4. Engage with major contractors and suppliers to create plans to reduce emissions linked to council purchases.

A5. Integrate climate requirements into procurement processes and contracts, introducing more stringent requirements over time (with support for small suppliers).

Embedding the principles

Co-benefits

These activities will also support:

  • council finances - by enabling savings on energy bills
  • air quality - by reducing pollution from the council’s road vehicles
  • staff health - by encouraging more active travel to work

Monitoring

We will monitor:

  • scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
  • energy, water and fossil fuel use across the estate and fleet
  • EPC ratings and Display Energy Certificates across the estate
  • waste generated and recycling rates across council sites
  • proportion of staff commuting and travelling using public transport or active travel
  • take-up of support offered to staff, for example EV leasing schemes