16 May 2008
A further 74 town halls have joined a carbon management scheme as tackling climate change continues to move up the local agenda.
The English and Scottish authorities could shave 20% off their energy costs as a result of joining the Local Authority Carbon Management Programme. A total of 215 councils are now in the scheme, which is run by the Carbon Trust, a company set up by the government to help the private and public sectors cut harmful emissions.
The announcement from the trust comes as 104 councils in England have included reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in their Local Area Agreements, making this the third most popular indicator.
Local Government Association chair Sir Simon Milton said: 'I am extremely pleased that so many councils are recognising the challenge we face as a sector of combating climate change. Local government is in a unique position to reduce greenhouse gases and take the lead on this vitally important issue.'
Milton added that 334 councils have now signed up to the Nottingham Declaration, a commitment to address the causes and effects of climate change with partners and residents. He called on the remaining 68 English councils to sign up.
Over the past five years, the Carbon Trust's LACM programme has helped to identify £70m-worth of savings for 141 local authorities. It said the new participants could expect to save a collective £50m.
Tom Cumberledge, public sector manager at the trust, said: 'Local authorities in the UK are responsible for spending in the region of £1.4bn every year on energy and through their operations alone collectively emit nearly 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.'
He said energy was one of the largest controllable overheads for a council, with carbon management a way to release funds for services and improve the authority's reputation.
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