Hyndburn Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency and Climate Pledge on the 19th September 2019.
The Council pledged to achieve Council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2030.
The pledge is a series of recommendations set out in response to help limit global warming to 1.5°C or stay well below 2°C global temperature target compared to pre-industrial levels.
The measures put in place are aimed at reducing the organisations Carbon Footprint, and help off-set carbon emissions.
On the 18th November (2021) at Full Council the Council gave the commitment to invest £1 million of Council reserves into a pot to contribute towards tackling global warming providing a clear demonstration of the Council’s determination to tackle climate change with positive action and to enable some of the changes which need to be realised in the district.
Progress has been started to be made within the Councils own operations to achieve net zero carbon by :
- In both 2020 and 2021, the Council was awarded the One Carbon World Carbon Neutral Gold Standard grant. The report detailed the carbon footprint of the Council and provided recommendations to reduce and off-set its footprint.
- One Carbon World Carbon Footprint study identified 2,700 tonnes CO2e emissions with the highest priority recommendation being to decarbonise energy, especially from gas usage in the Councils buildings. This was actioned immediately and helped to secure £2.3 million investment from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme together with capital investment from the Council.
At Hyndburn Leisure Centre, we have:
✔ Reduced CO2 emissions by 71%
✔ Installed Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) technology
✔ Renewable electricity generation onsite
✔ Improved efficiency ventilation systems and air handling units
✔ Building Energy Monitoring systems
✔ Reduced fossil fuels to zero
At one of our buildings, Scaitcliffe House, we have:
✔ Reduced CO2 emissions by 67%
✔ ASHP technology to replace inefficient storage heaters
✔ Increased onsite renewable electricity generation with solar panels
✔ Installed LED lighting
At Cemeteries in Accrington, we have:
✔ CO2 emissions reduced by 10%
✔ Improved efficiency control of the cremators
Overall achievements so far:
✔ 450 tonnes of CO2 saved per year
✔ Annual savings of more than £120,000
✔ £2.3 million external investment
✔ 100 Jobs employed on the works
- The second highest area of emissions is from fuel usage in the Council’s fleet. A range of measures are underway to reduce carbon emissions from the fleet, in tandem with external expertise.
- EV charging points at 3 sites, potentially allowing for staff car charging as well as fleet vehicles
- Progressively switching the fleet to electric vehicles, beginning with the small van fleet, possible 10 replacement vehicles in the coming year
- Tools, plant and maintenance machinery
- Exploring viability and options for the large fleet, in tandem with Lancashire-wide waste management arrangements.
- Initial considerations for Climate Action Programme (with multiple benefits for Adaptations, Resilience and Carbon Off-setting):
- Natural solutions for carbon capture and climate resilience;
- Tree planting and woodland creation on Council and privately owned land;
- A tree for every household, through the following 2 proposals:
- 3 year community tree and woodland programme, aiming to plant 20,000 trees plus other habitat enhancements on HBC land primarily, create 2 new community woodlands, with involvement by local people, schools and groups.
- 3 years of additional funding for the Lancashire Woodland Connect programme, targets to be agreed but with a similar aim of 20,000 trees on privately owned land primarily.
In 2019, we pledged to plant a tree for every household in Hyndburn.
This year, 4,000 trees were planted in Hyndburn on 16 sites and at 10 schools – including creation of microwoodlands, tree avenues, oak guilds, fruit trees, blossom and berries.
Tree planting has been community led – with thanks to local volunteers, families, schools, cadets supported by PROSPECTS Foundation and Woody (Hyndburn) CIC.
More work will include:
- Adaptation and resilience measures through peatland and grassland restoration
- Accelerate provision of new cycling and walking infrastructure and encourage active travel as an alternative to vehicle use.
Further Information: