Suffolk’s ambition to be net-zero by 2030 has been bolstered by an almost £1million pledge for more initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the effects of climate change.
Suffolk Public Sector Leaders, which includes Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils, has agreed £913,458 funding for the next phase of the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan.
New projects include making more homes energy-efficient, development of Suffolk’s EV charging infrastructure to support taxis, energy audits for businesses and developing sustainable itineraries for the visitor economy.
Councillor Suzie Morley, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council and chair of Suffolk Public Sector Leaders, said:
This investment is another clear statement of our ambitions to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions in the county.
“The next phase of projects will help residents, communities, businesses and visitors. Nobody is under any illusions about the challenges we all face around climate change, and we must work collaboratively to tackle them.”
Nearly £600,000 has previously been pledged by Suffolk’s Public Sector Leaders, while the creation of a new Fuel Poverty Retrofit Team was agreed in October to make thousands more homes energy efficient. A dashboard has also been developed to track Suffolk’s environmental performance metrics and can be seen on the Suffolk Observatory website.
Councillor Andy Drummond, chair of the Suffolk Environment Portfolio Holders’ Group, said:
Achieving a net zero Suffolk by 2030 is a complex challenge that requires collaboration, and big ambitions, which is why this funding is going to make a huge difference across the county.”
New projects in the pipeline include:
- Development of Suffolk’s EV charging infrastructure, including support for rapid charging for taxis in strategic locations.
- Making more homes energy-efficient with retrofitting of measures like loft insultation and draught excluders. This could also link with Suffolk Climate Change Partnership’s thermal imaging cameras project, which uses the cameras to carry out heat loss surveys, and also signpost people to schemes like Warm Homes Suffolk.
- Targeted support for Suffolk firms, including energy audits and advice, with 5 to 10 exemplar projects funded.
- Further improvements to the greensuffolk.org website; evolving it into a green Suffolk hub and offering more useful information on how people can reduce their carbon footprint.
- Develop sustainable itineraries for the visitor economy, reducing demand for car use.
