Council pushes net zero pledge back by nine years

A council said it had been forced to push its "ambitious" net zero target back by nine years, after conceding a "more realistic plan" was needed.

West Suffolk Council had hoped to be completely net zero by 2030, having declared a climate emergency in September 2019.

The authority said it had made "significant progress" in reducing its carbon emissions while helping homeowners, businesses and the wider community do the same.

However, it said due to "elements out of our control" a "more deliverable timeline" had to be established, with a revised target of 2039 being set.

Gerald Kelly, independent cabinet member for governance, regulatory and environment, said net zero by 2030 was "an ambitious aim".

"Pushing ourselves to hit that target has put us in the strong position we are in today, but due to elements out of our control, we now need a more realistic plan," he said.

"And being honest about that fact is a key part of maintaining trust in this agenda."

Since declaring a climate emergency, the authority said it had prevented at least 7,000 tonnes of carbon consumed by third parties such as homes, businesses and community groups from entering the atmosphere every year.

Through various schemes, it said it had also helped those struggling with the cost of living to manage energy costs.

The council's own carbon consumption currently stands at just below 5,000 tonnes each year - 13% lower in absolute terms than in 2019, it said.

It also wants to remove a further 1,000 tonnes before 2029 and plant 5,000 trees.

Last year, a review of the council's progress towards net zero identified areas for improvement.

The council's Environment and Sustainability Reference Group recommended actions including phasing out gas use in authority buildings and exploring opportunities to set more stringent building standards.

Work to remove gas will soon get under way, after the council was awarded £4.1m from the government to decarbonise its Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill leisure centres.

Despite the funding, the authority said new national demands meant its target had become harder to achieve.

It cited government-led initiatives such as Simpler Recycling, which will aim to streamline waste collections across England by making councils separate food waste and dry recycling from general waste by 2026.

However, the council said this would increase the demand for new waste collection vehicles, which in turn would boost emissions.

Despite this, Kelly assured residents net zero would one day become a reality in the west of the county.

"The new trajectory includes decarbonising the leisure centres in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill, installing solar canopies at the Mildenhall Hub car park, to name a few projects," he said.

"The revised target allows us to keep the momentum and optimism for tackling climate change going and continue to make significant progress."

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