The Council’s Scrutiny committee has today welcomed the Decarbonisation Plan and recommended approval to Council.
The Plan sets out the Council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030, supporting the objective set by Welsh Government for the whole of the public sector to be carbon neutral by that date.
The report highlights the initiatives already underway to reduce the Council’s carbon impact including the new energy prospectus, the Re:Fit Programme and the roll-out of LED street lighting. The Plan sets out priority areas for further action which include:
• transport and travel (direct and commissioned);
• procurement (including goods, services and works);
• electricity;
• heat;
• sequestration;
• waste
A Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Spokesperson Said:
“The Council is fully supportive of reducing carbon emissions and supporting Welsh Government’s target of becoming carbon neutral.
“With the guidance of Welsh Government’s Prosperity for All plan, the Council has set out its agenda to support the target. Blaenau Gwent’s Decarbonisation Plan highlights a 10-year strategic approach that includes being focused on data driven, collaboration working and behavioural change. It supports a number of Council priorities including contributing towards a strong and environmentally smart community.
“We have started to map our carbon footprint and the baseline of the data was collected during 2018/ 2019. This data was used to identify the nine transitions of the Decarbonisation Plan.”
The plan highlights areas where significant contribution can be made towards becoming carbon neutral and delivering a more efficient Council. It will also help to identify opportunities for cost savings from carbon reduction and income generation through renewable energy schemes.
Spokesperson Continues:
“The Council is already taking a number of actions to reduce our impact which includes investing in low energy LEDs in street lighting, reducing energy usage across schools and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.”
The aim is to deliver the Decarbonisation Plan through critical projects such as Silent Valley, Workplace Transformation and the Energy Prospectus. Work will continue to identify how the Council can make significant reductions in the carbon footprint through other aspects of service delivery such as the procurement and commission of goods and services.
The report and Decarbonisation Plan can be found by clicking on the link below:
http://democracy.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk/documents/s4973/Report.pdf?LLL=0