Carbon emissions at Staffordshire County Council have continued to fall substantially over the last year, according to the authority’s annual report.
A range of initiatives have reduced emissions by 50 per cent, since the authority declared a climate change emergency in 2019.
That includes a reduction of around 2,611 tonnes of carbon emissions for the last financial year – which equates to a 9 per cent drop.
More steps are planned to reach net zero by 2050. However, as the county council emits less than 1 per cent of the circa 5.8 million tonnes of carbon produced annually in Staffordshire, it needs the wider help of the population and business community.
One project making a positive contribution is The Kingston Centre, in Stafford, which is being refurbished into a primary school with £795,000 funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund.
The retrofit includes six air source heat pumps, high insulation levels, and solar PV installation. It is expected to save 150 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
In addition, the council’s highways department ran a pilot project, switching to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel in their gritting fleet and forklifts.
This reduced carbon emissions by 60 tonnes in three months, compared to conventional diesel, while also decreasing pollution levels by up to 84 per cent.
Last year, £5.75 million was awarded to 427 properties in Staffordshire, installing a total of 540 energy efficiency measures through the Staffordshire Warmer Homes scheme.
Simon Tagg, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change said: “Although the authority only accounts for a small percentage of the county’s emissions, we still have a part to play.
“We have already made excellent progress by reducing our emissions by 50 per cent and we continue to take significant steps in reaching our target of net zero by 2050, through the proposals in our action plan.”
Through the Climate Change Action Fund, last year 73 projects were supported, offering £72,500 of funding for community groups, charities, schools, and parish councils, to tackle climate change.
The council also shared the third revision of their (2021-2025) Climate Change Action Plan. The plan shows the completed actions over the last 2 years, presents reviewed actions, timescales and introduces a few new actions.
The Climate change Annual Report and action plan can be viewed here and will be discussed at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet on 15 November.
Last month Daily Focus reported that Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council had also reached the halfway mark to its Net Zero journey – helped by moving to a new headquarters.
