Suffolk County Council pledges £12.8m investment to reach net-zero

It comes as part of their efforts to become carbon-neutral by 2030

Author: Kaushal MenonPublished 10th Nov 2021
Last updated 10th Nov 2021

Suffolk County Council have pledged to invest £12.8m towards reducing the carbon emitted from the buildings in their corporate estate. This will include measures to decrease emissions from their headquarters, fire stations and libraries, amongst other buildings.

It was announced after the council met and approved a report to commit to this investment yesterday. Councillor Richard Rout is their cabinet member for Finance and the Environment. He says, " Our corporate property team will work with central government, partners, industry experts and our own in-house professionals to develop more detailed plans to ensure we are delivering effective projects with a clear focus on value for money."

“We know that significant, urgent investment is needed to fund carbon reduction projects within our estate and this multi-million pound investment is an indication of our commitment", he adds.

The measures will include changes to its electricity consumption, reviewing the heating and cooling of its buildings, continuing its LED lighting rollout, replacing older fossil fuel boilers and generating its own energy. Councillor Rout told us, "It's a really ambitious plan but also one that delivers savings for the tax-payer, because we'll be making these buildings energy efficient."

“With COP26 emphasising that now is the time to act, this £12.8m investment is a timely announcement that will progress our ambition to be Net Zero by 2030", he adds.

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