Information on Loughborough

Green challenge for Leicestershire County Council

Posted on 06/05/2008
P. Klein

carbon dioxide molecule

 

Leicestershire County Council has been selected to take part in an exciting green challenge. The authority has been accepted onto the Carbon Trust’s prestigious Local Authority Carbon Management Programme. The aim of the programme is to reduce the County Council’s carbon emissions whether from its buildings, street lighting or vehicle fleet.

The County Council competed with other local authorities to win a place on the 10 month programme. The selection process involved an application and interview where the Council had to prove its commitment and readiness for action.

Mr Ernie White, Lead Member for Community Services and the Member Sponsor for the Programme said: “This is an excellent opportunity for Leicestershire County Council to respond to the demands of a low carbon future. The programme will help us to make carbon management a key part of everything we do and support sound decision making. It will promote more efficient and effective service delivery”.

The Council’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2005 are estimated to be 44, 307 tonnes. The County Council is already taking action to reduce emissions through projects such as buying green electricity, implementing a travel plan for County Hall and running an awareness campaign to reduce energy use. However, the Carbon Management Programme is seen as an opportunity to position Leicestershire amongst the best performing councils on this issue.

By the end of the programme Leicestershire County Council will have a clear picture of the main sources of emissions from its operations and will have developed an Implementation Plan of practical actions to be taken to reduce emissions and to meet strategic objectives for improving the Council’s environmental performance whilst gaining value for money.

Officers of the County Council will attend a launch event in London on 8th May 2008 for an introduction to the programme and a chance to exchange ideas with other councils participating in the programme.

Further Information

The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by Government to help the UK meet its climate change obligations through business-focused solutions to carbon emission reduction.

The Trust offers support from its team of consultants to implement a five step process with local authorities including an analysis of the organisations carbon footprint and the identification of opportunities and projects to reduce emissions. Only 60 public sector organisations will be involved in this year’s programme nationwide.

During the programme the Council will establish a Carbon Management Team consisting of officers from across all Departments and including senior managers and councillors.