Wokingham

Wokingham Borough Council is set to cut its carbon footprint and reduce its energy bills by joining the latest phase of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authorities Carbon Management (LACM) programme.

The Wokingham borough council is one of 68 local authorities from across England, Scotland and Wales to participate in the seventh phase of the programme, which aims to see participants collectively cut their annual carbon footprint by 395,000 tonnes and energy costs by £60million.

The Carbon Trust is now working with 268 of the UK’s 468 local authorities - some 55 per cent - to assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a robust strategy to drastically reduce their carbon footprints over a five to ten year period.

Through the previous six years of the LACM programme, the Carbon Trust has worked with 200 local authorities, identifying annual savings of more than £120 million and 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide across all sites involved. Many of the new participants can expect to reduce their energy bills by up to 25 per cent.

Tom Cumberlege, public sector manager at the Carbon Trust, said: “The financial and environmental incentives to cut carbon are clear. Local authorities in the UK are responsible for spending in the region of £1.4billion every year on energy and, through their own operations alone, collectively emit nearly seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide. When it comes to taking action on climate change, local authorities are in a unique position to be clear leaders and work together with local businesses and residents. The Carbon Trust is delighted to be supporting 68 more local authorities in these efforts.

“The good news is that energy is one of the largest controllable overheads for councils and implementing good carbon management can lead to significant cash savings on bills. As well as releasing funds which can be better spent on resources and services for local residents, this will also enable councils to cut carbon emissions and improve their reputation in the community.”

Ian Gough, Wokingham Borough Council’s energy officer, said: “Through working in close partnership with the Carbon Trust, Wokingham Borough Council will establish a carbon management strategy and identify a set of practical actions that will help us to save cash and carbon. We are committed to taking action on carbon emissions and as a result make savings on our energy costs, which will all help to reduce our impact on climate change.

“The council’s first action will be to carry out obvious, low cost and no cost energy efficiency improvements, including briefing all staff to lead more energy efficient lifestyles whilst at work. We will then look at a series of initiatives to ensure that our properties are as energy efficient as they can be. This will include updating insulation, lighting and machinery. In the long-term, we will look to implement cleaner and greener technologies which will allow us to make energy from natural resources, dramatically reduce our energy usage and help us to reduce carbon emissions as well as costs.”

Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Wokingham environment, said: “Getting an appropriate focus on minimising the council’s energy usage will definitely yield worthwhile economic and environmental benefits.”

Wokingham Borough Council