Support for ‘groundbreaking’ plan for council to be energy self-sufficient

A plan for Shropshire Council to become the first local authority in the country to become energy self-sufficient has been backed by councillors.

The goal builds on a previously agreed target for the council to become carbon neutral by 2030, and forms part of its first ever climate strategy.

The new strategy was unanimously supported by the full council at a meeting on Thursday, along with an accompanying action plan.

Councillor Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for climate change said the goal of becoming energy self-sufficient was “groundbreaking” as he asked colleagues to support the strategy.

Concerns were however raised that the council was not demonstrating strong enough leadership in steering the rest of the county towards carbon neutral status.

The strategy covers the council’s direct emissions and those produced by services it commissions, such as road maintenance and social care.

A separate strategy on reducing the carbon footprint of the wider county, of which the council’s emissions represent just one per cent, is being prepared by the community led Shropshire Climate Action Partnership (SCAP).

Councillor Hannah Fraser asked whether the council was doing enough to support SCAP. She said: “My concerns are around Shropshire Council’s role as a leader in the county and how it can promote carbon neutrality across the county.

“Could we ask that there’s a report from SCAP so the council can understand how that organisation is working, and the council’s role in that organisation and how it might do even more.”

Labour group leader Alan Mosley said the council’s arms-length role within SCAP “seems to fly in the face of us showing any leadership whatsoever”.

Councillor Mosley said this should be looked at by a working group or scrutiny committee.

Councillor Carroll said: “We took the decision that our best role would be to lead by example and do the best we can as a council to reduce our emissions and reach net zero.

“So we are concentrating and throwing everything at reducing our emissions.

“The majority of emissions outside the council are made either by residents or by businesses so it’s only right that residents and businesses along with other interest groups play a part in shaping what the path to net zero looks like.

“I am pleased to say that SCAP is a very effective, very cohesive action partnership.”

Councillor Carroll said he would be happy for SCAP to be looked at by a scrutiny committee.

Councillor Julian Dean, the only Green member said it was promising to see the progress made since the council declared a climate emergency last year, in particular in measuring its indirect emissions, which many other councils are not yet doing.

He proposed an amendment to the report to ensure more staff receive carbon literacy training, following other councils which have already achieved ‘bronze’ status through the Carbon Literacy Trust.

He also proposed committing the council’s housing company, Cornovii Developments Ltd, to building to PassivHaus standards.

Councillor Dean said: “We really have to move towards building carbon zero homes.

“I don’t see any excuse for not doing that.”

He was backed by other members, including Liberal Democrat leader Roger Evans and independent group leader Pauline Dee, who both said developers could not be expected to build carbon zero homes if the council itself would not.

Councillor Carroll said both measures could be brought into the action plan, which he said was a “living, working document”, but said adding them as amendments to the strategy was “not the right way to go about it”.

Councillor Dean’s amendment was defeated by 41 votes to 23.

Following the meeting, Councillor Dean said it was “disappointing” that the council could not make these two “straightforward commitments”.

He said: “Affordable homes with renewable heating and very low electricity needs are now being built by councils from York in the north to Lewes in the south. The additional costs are around 8 per cent and falling.

“As well as needing these affordable homes, which are cheap to run, we also desperately need to develop the skills in this field, as anyone who has tried to find a firm to help with the Green Homes Grant will testify.

“So a council commitment to build to a zero carbon standard would be a signal to local firms and to colleges to start training people now. If a wholly-owned council home builder can’t commit to this, what hope is there to persuade the big developers?”