Issue - meetings

To receive an update on becoming carbon neutral and climate change adaptation.

The Team Leader: Climate Change & Sustainability presented an update on the Council’s progress towards becoming carbon neutral and the wider work on climate change adaptation. Members were reminded that the Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and that climate action remains one of five priorities within the Council Plan.

The report summarised the progress made since the last update presented to Committee and set out the Council’s performance against net?zero targets and provided an updated on the climate change adaptation plan.

Members heard that, locally, public concern about climate change remained high, with results of a recent resident’s survey showing that 63% of residents rated their concern at 7 or above. The Committee was advised that climate actions continued to deliver significant co?benefits, including reduced operational costs, warmer homes, and improvements to health and wellbeing.

Examples included extensive upgrades to leisure facilities, investment in energy?efficient housing through NuPlace, retrofit programmes supporting fuel?poor households, and active travel initiatives linked to the New School Journey project. The refurbishment of Wellington Leisure Centre, supported by £1.1m of external funding, would reduce carbon emissions by 70 tonnes per year, and recent schemes had significantly reduced car use around several schools.

It was reported that the Council had achieved a 63% reduction in carbon emissions against the 2018/19 baseline for 2024/25, including a 33% reduction in streetlighting emissions following LED upgrades and a 40% reduction in gas use. Officers emphasised that while major progress had been made, future reductions would be increasingly challenging, particularly in the absence of national funding and the ongoing constraints posed by limited grid capacity.

During the discussion, Members thanked officers for their continued work and praised the tangible benefits for communities, including improved leisure facilities and enhanced housing quality.

Members raised questions relating to project prioritisation, surveying of buildings, and the need for clearer reporting of financial returns and carbon savings. The Team Leader: Climate Change & Sustainability confirmed that a more data?driven reporting format was being developed and that surveys and business cases were regularly undertaken to support project decision?making.

Members also asked about independent verification of carbon savings and the Committee was informed that the Council uses recognised LGA methodologies, which were auditable, although external audit is not routinely commissioned.

RESOLVED – that the update on Telford and Wrekin Council becoming Carbon Neutral and the additional work the Council has undertaken to develop a corporate climate change risk register which identifies how the Council is seeking to adapt to manage unavoidable risks and impacts of the changing climate be reviewed and noted.