Climate emergency

Wiltshire Council, recently named the most climate friendly council area in England and Wales, will invest more than £5m to tackle emissions from its own buildings, as it aims for the council and county to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Proposals were agreed by the council's Cabinet (on 8 October), which will see Wiltshire Council target 138 of its buildings and aim to cut their carbon emissions by investing around £5.18m in phase one of a programme of work which will also help reduce the cost of running the buildings in the long-term - this could see gross annual savings of around £500,000.

To achieve this; automatic controls for lighting, heating and cooling will be installed wherever possible. Standard energy-reducing technologies will be also installed where feasible across the council's estate. This includes solutions such as upgrading to LED lighting or improving insulation.

The council will also replace the remaining energy used within its buildings with energy generated from a renewable source as much as possible. Therefore, this programme will see the installation of solar panels at every site where there is a viable business case. In addition, it will look at installing other renewable energy generation technologies such as hydroelectric solutions and biomass boilers where appropriate.

Investigation will also be carried out into canopy-based solar panels, with Salisbury Park and Ride sites identified as a possible location to try them out. If introduced, this would create solar energy on the sites which could also supply electricity on a commercial basis to nearby third parties. A detailed business case will be drawn up on this.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, said:

What I hope is clear from all the work we are doing is just how seriously we are taking this issue. We are investing money, time and resources into doing all we can to tackle this global issue in Wiltshire.

Looking closely at our own buildings and making them as efficient as possible is in our control and will have positive repercussions for the environment while making valuable long-term savings in the process - it's a win-win.

Other work the council is doing to reduce carbon emissions includes:

• Securing all the electricity on its corporate contract from a green tariff with effect from 1st April 2020 , which means that 100% of the council's electricity will be matched by the supplier with a certified renewable energy source
• Ensuring our response to climate change is enhanced within the Core Strategy - the council's key planning and development document
• Drafting the fourth Local Transport Plan to reflect the target to reduce carbon emissions and develop policies to make further improvements
• Continuing to monitor air quality in Wiltshire through its updated Air Quality Strategy which will soon be formally reported to Full Council
• Ensuring the Household Waste Management Strategy continues to focus on reducing the carbon impact of its operations, for example in 2008/9 the council landfilled more than 56% of its waste, by 2018/19 this figure was less than 16%
• Working with Swindon and Wiltshire Local Economic Partnership to engage with businesses and industry in Wiltshire to reduce carbon emissions
• Arranging a series of environmentally-themed area board meetings to take place later this year to engage with communities and local residents.

The council recently topped the table of most climate-friendly councils following research by Friends of the Earth  which looked at a range of issues relevant to climate change to assess how councils are performing.

Wiltshire Council is laying out its strategy to address climate change with a commitment from Cabinet for the council to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

The first steps will be to look at a major increase in renewable energy generation on council buildings and reviewing the council fleet to establish which vehicles can be electric when they are replaced.  Wiltshire Council's Environment Select Committee has also established a task group of councillors to look at some of the main issues.

Wiltshire Council will start by looking to see if more can be done at its main hubs and other buildings to ensure the organisation is leading the way locally in tackling this global problem.

Richard Clewer, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "We want to show leadership because we take the issue of climate change very seriously.  We need to show that we can generate our own energy needs renewably to help lead the way in Wiltshire.

Locally we can't do this alone; we will need to work with other organisations, stakeholders, communities and groups. However, if we, as an organisation can lead the way given the size we are, then we hope that communities will be keen to work with us to ensure that Wiltshire is seen as a positive example of how to tackle this issue.

Cllr Graham Wright, chairman of the Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group, said: "If counties like Wiltshire don't start to put changes into place now, then collectively we won't be able to make a positive difference.

We are under no illusion of the monumental scale of this issue. What we have in our favour though is a growing awareness and recognition from the public that, globally, this serious issue should be high on everyone's agenda.

Wiltshire Council's cabinet is being supported by the Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group, chaired by Cllr Graham Wright and made up of eight councillors. It has met twice so far to scope the areas that they want to focus on.

The areas they will be exploring are:

• Renewable energy generation, energy use and efficiency
• Planning
• Transport and air quality
• Waste
• Land use
• Business and industry

Wiltshire Council's drive to be carbon neutral by 2030 continues as its low energy street lighting project gets underway.

The council is investing £12m to replace much of its ageing 45,000 lights with Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting. Unlike older lights, LED lighting can be dimmed to save energy. 

The project has been rolled out in Chippenham with more than 400 of the new modern lights installed. The lights will eventually be installed throughout the county, which will see the council make annual savings of around £1m. 

The light from the LED units look different as it is not orange in colour, like some of the older lighting. The new lights will provide similar lighting levels with less light spill and be considerably cheaper to operate and maintain. Instead of being turned off for part of the night, many of the lights will be dimmed during off-peak periods to further reduce energy consumption.

The conversion will be carried out quickly in most locations with little disturbance and disruption as it is only the electrical equipment being changed. However, in a few cases it may be necessary to renew the lighting column which will require excavation in the pavement to provide and connect the new column.

The project is expected to reduce the annual energy consumption of the council's street lighting from 12,977,500 KWh to 5,262,291 KWh. The reduction in energy for each light will vary according to the unit, but is likely to be as much as 69% in some cases.

There will be also significant reduction of the council's carbon footprint - it will reduce street lighting CO2 by 1,770tCO2 (from 4,950tCO2 to 3,180tCO2.).

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: "The project to replace the old stock has had a smooth start and the feedback we're received so far has been very positive.

This long-term investment will save money while helping us achieve our ambition of reducing carbon emissions throughout the county - it's a win-win.

For more information and a range of FAQs, people should visit http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/highways-improvements-led-lighting.

Salisbury Reds and Wiltshire Council have unveiled new electric buses for city's park and ride services.

The three brand new electric vehicles - a total investment of £1.2 million - will run from Salisbury's park and ride bus services.

The move follows a successful bid by the local bus operator and the council for £600,000 of Government funding for the new buses - which will help provide greener and cleaner journeys across the region.

While fully charged, each bus should be able to travel for around 160 miles.

Andrew Wickham, Salisbury Reds managing director, said:

Together with Wiltshire Council, our team worked incredibly hard to gain government support, under the Low Emission Bus Scheme, for this important initiative,

The move is part of a drive to lower emissions across the UK, following the publication of the government's draft Air Quality Plan, and I am delighted that Salisbury Reds is at the forefront of that project here in Wiltshire.

Buses are the perfect solution to improving air quality in our towns and cities. I'm very much looking forward to seeing these three new electric vehicles out-and-about across Salisbury and the surrounding area.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:

We're delighted that three new electric buses are now serving our park and ride sites in Salisbury.

These buses represent a significant investment in the city, and will help to reduce the environmental impact of visitors and improve air quality. This is an important part of our pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, and we hope that by leading the way with initiatives like this, it will inspire people and other organisations to make a positive difference.

I'd urge all visitors to Salisbury to use the five park and ride services where possible, as this will have a positive impact on reducing pollution and congestion, and it also allows easy access to our beautiful city.

For more information about Salisbury Reds, please visit Salisbury Reds website.

Council continues on its carbon neutral journey.

Following its pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030, and to support Wiltshire to do the same, Wiltshire Council is working hard on a number of projects to make a difference.

In February 2019 at a meeting of full council, Wiltshire Council resolved to acknowledge there is a climate emergency and seek to make the county of Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030. In July 2019 Wiltshire Council's cabinet also pledged to make Wiltshire Council carbon neutral by 2030.

Since then the council has:

• Committed to invest £5.2m to make its buildings more energy efficient
• Encouraged the public to make a Green Pledge
• Hosted a number of well-attended special climate change-themed area board meetings
• Secured all the electricity on its corporate contract from a green tariff from April 2020
• Supported the bid and invested to bring electric buses to Salisbury
• Committed to invest £3.8 million assigned to solar projects on park and ride sites
• Proposed funding a climate change team in the 2020/21 draft budget
• Committed to invest £12m on a major public highway LED light replacement project
• Planned event to engage closely with schools on this global issue

The council's Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group has also been both supporting and challenging the executive in a number of areas; such as:

• Ensuring that new council planning policies help to drive low carbon development
• Working with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss the impact of its industrial and local energy strategies
• Working with council officers to encourage pension investment in carbon neutral funds
• Scrutinising the council's own housing development plans in terms of their energy efficiency standards
• Talking with transport planners about 'greener' alternatives for shorter journeys and ensuring that the council's next Local Transport Plan prioritises more sustainable modes of transport
• Meeting with community energy providers to discuss what the council can do to support the generation and use of renewable energy

Cllr Richard Clewer, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: "At our recent Focusing on the Future meetings, climate change was a topic that came up time and time again. That was no surprise to us, and we're keen to harness the clear local passion for this global issue as we all work together to make a positive difference.

We have always said that we can't do this alone, however, we can lead from the front and hope others follow. Together with the task group, we will continue to look at all avenues and projects to ensure we deliver on our pledge. We know there's more to be done but progress has been made and this is just the beginning of a long journey.

Cllr Graham Wright, chair of Wiltshire Council's Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group, said:

I would like to thank all the task group for their commitment and also compliment Wiltshire Council officers for their  professional approach to climate change. Making positive changes to reduce our carbon footprint within Wiltshire is complex however, the task group is focused on doing just that.

All people need to do to take part in The Green Pledge, is agree to make a difference in their everyday lives that could have a positive impact.