Moving headquarters has helped Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council reach the half-way mark on its journey to net zero carbon emissions, a report has revealed.
The achievement reflects a number of energy-saving measures including increased heat, light and insulation efficiency in a range of council properties.
The progress of the council’s Sustainable Environment Strategy towards full compliance in 2030 is set out in a Cabinet report.
Substantial CO2 savings were made by moving from the old civic centre to occupy one floor of a far more energy-efficient building at Castle House.
The local authority is also converting its fleet of smaller vehicles to charge from electricity generated by renewable energy.
The replacement of diesel in its HGVs with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil has cut their emissions by 90 per cent.
Plans for the future include a strengthened focus on biodiversity and nature recovery, which follows the planting of 15,000 trees over 21 green spaces as part of an urban planting programme.
There is also a need to offset energy consumption at J2 leisure centre, the council’s works depot and the crematorium.
David Hutchison, cabinet member for Sustainable Environment, said: “The challenge now is to plan for the next steps that take us closer to our target.
“Although the council is only responsible for a small amount of carbon emissions overall, as a local authority we can set a strong example and work with others to help them reduce their net output too.”
