Case studies

Cumbria was named as one of five pilot areas to receive a share of a £1 million fund from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in August 2020 to develop a draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) pilot.

In Hazlemere, the council and residents are determined to stop the decline of pollinators and help their wonderful natural friends. Bees are vital to both pollinate the food we need to survive and pollinate many of the trees and flowers that provide habitats for wildlife.

To get their estate to net zero by 2030 and prepare the borough for the impact of the climate crisis, Lambeth council have created a ‘future fit’ package for schools. This package consists of several projects, which reduce the schools’ carbon footprints, prepare them to be climate resilient, and protect school children from air pollution.

In November 2020, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet unanimously agreed the council’s first Carbon Management Strategy which sets out how they will respond to the international, national and regional aspiration to achieve a low/net zero carbon economy by 2050.

South Cambridgeshire District Council set out a wide-ranging zero carbon strategy, outlining the many ways in which it is encouraging, supporting and influencing action on climate change in the district.

Since 2014, Cumbria County Council has invested £12.9 million in its LED Street Lighting replacement and improvement programme, replacing over 45,000 streetlights with more efficient and cost-effective LED technology.

Winchester City Council has been working with Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) and the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to support the development of climate action hubs across the Winchester district.

Research was conducted by London Southbank University (LSBU) in partnership with Lambeth Council to understand the local retrofit supply chain and workforce in the two main retrofit channels: Public-Procured and Private-Purchased. The recommendations and outputs include a list of the roles and skills needed to 2030 and 2050, a stakeholder map of employers and supply chain, and what the council and other stakeholders should do to address gaps and barriers and optimise local benefits from the delivery of net zero retrofits.

Stroud District Council's comprehensive strategy and plan, unanimously adopted in March 2021 drives progress on their commitment to a carbon neutral and ecologically resilient 2030.