Dorset Council up for national climate action award
They've been nominated for reducing carbon emissions in their buildings
A scheme to install energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in 200 Dorset Council buildings in just 18 months has earned the authority an award nomination.
Dorset Council's been announced as a finalist for Best Climate Action or Decarbonisation Initiative in this year’s Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Awards.
The authority's shortlisted against 8 other councils for efforts to tackle the carbon footprint of buildings like schools, libraries and leisure centres.
The project, which has cut energy bills by over £1 million a year for the council and its partners, was funded through the government’s public sector decarbonisation scheme.
Dorset Council secured £19 million from the scheme, one of the largest awards in the country.
Councillor Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:
“I’m extremely proud to hear our efforts to tackle carbon emissions have been recognised on a national level. As a council we are committed to protecting our climate, and this project and the hard work of the team that delivered it truly is testament to that.
“But it’s not just our own footprint that we’re concentrating on. Over the past five years our Low Carbon Dorset programme has distributed millions of pounds to help local organisations reduce their emissions and prepare for the government’s net-zero targets.”
Thorner’s Primary School in Litton Cheney near Dorchester is one of many council-owned sites to have benefitted from the project.
They've had solar panels fitted on the roof and old lights replaced with LEDs, as part of the council's efforts to reduce emissions.
Mike Sitch, headteacher at Thorner’s Primary School, said:
“The solar panels have been fantastic, and we’re already seeing a big reduction in our energy bills. As a school that doesn’t have any gas and relies on electricity and an oil tank, it has been helpful because as prices have risen we’ve been able to offset that by the amount of renewable, free energy that we’ve been generating.
“All the money we save on electricity can now be spent on new resources and activities for our pupils.”