Slough Borough Council aims to cut its carbon footprint and reduce its energy bills by joining phase seven of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authorities Carbon Management (LACM) programme.
Slough is one of 68 local authorities from England, Scotland and Wales to participate in the latest phase of the programme, which will see participants collectively cut their carbon footprints by 395,000 tonnes and energy costs by £60 million per year.
The Carbon Trust, now working with 268 of the UK’s 468 local authorities, assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a robust strategy to drastically reduce their carbon footprints over a five to ten year period.
Through the previous six years of the LACM programme, the Trust has worked with 200 local authorities, identifying annual savings of more than £120 million and 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide across all sites involved. Many of the new participants can expect to reduce their energy bills by up to 25 per cent.
Roger Parkin, strategic director improvement & development for Slough Borough Council, said: “We’re committed to improving the local environment and making Slough a great place to live, work and play. Taking action on carbon emissions and making savings on our energy costs, will help increase our positive impact on climate change considerably.
“Through working in close partnership with the Carbon Trust, the council will establish a carbon management strategy and identify a set of practical actions to save cash and carbon.”
Commissioner for Slough environment and open spaces, Cllr Satpal Parmar, added: “In working alongside the Carbon Trust, we’re committed to helping reduce our carbon emissions and save money, making Slough an even cleaner, safer and greener place to be.”
Tom Cumberlege, public sector manager at the Carbon Trust, added: “The financial and environmental incentives to cut carbon are clear. Local authorities are responsible for spending in the region of £1.4 billion every year on energy and through their own operations alone, collectively emit nearly seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
“The Carbon Trust is delighted to be supporting 68 more local authorities in cutting their emissions and improving their reputation in their communities.”
Launched in 2003, the LACM programme is designed to deliver improved energy management of vehicle fleets and academic, accommodation and leisure buildings. The programme is supported by a bespoke toolkit – a web-based manual that gives detailed guidance on the programme’s process and technical advice. It also facilitates the sharing of best practice between participants, enabling them to learn from each other’s experience, thereby optimising results.
The seventh phase of the Carbon Trust’s LACM programme will run until March 2010.
Slough Borough Council
