Case studies

Cheltenham are using Salix funding as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to install a number of sub meters in some of their leisure facilities and listed buildings in order to measure and reduce their energy footprint. The list includes the Pittville Pump Rooms, the leisure centre and their town hall.

Cheltenham Borough Council formed the Cheltenham Zero Partnership, with charity partner Vision21. The partnership will establish a strong network of businesses, community groups and the public sector to help lead the charge for the borough’s aim for carbon neutrality by 2030.

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.

City of York Council is creating an extensive community woodland on 78 hectares of land to the West of York with the ambition to plant 50,000 trees by 2023 as a nature based solution to climate change mitigation.

The Council has purchased 20 Section 106 affordable housing plots as part of consented residential scheme in the village of Bishops Tachbrook. The budget for the purchase of these plots included over £200,000 towards the delivery of a climate upgrade specification.

West Sussex County Council has a long-standing commitment to action on climate change and has pledged to make the authority carbon neutral by 2030. In the past decade, WSCC has almost halved its carbon emissions and dramatically increased the amount of renewable energy it generates.

The Wiltshire Community Environmental Toolkit has been developed by Wiltshire Council in partnership with Natural England to allow communities to take the lead in defining and restoring biodiversity in their community.

Swindon Borough Council has developed a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) that has helped secure the creation and maintenance of travel plans for new education, workplace, and residential developments. It obligates developers to fund initiatives through payment of a significant travel plan contribution to the council for it to resource implementation, or payment of a bond which repaid when the developer fulfils their obligations.

Forest of Dean Climate Action is a climate emergency community partnership that is currently being established to coordinate a district wide community-based response to the climate emergency. It will bring together communities, businesses and organisations from across the district to deliver community led climate action through collaboration, empowerment and knowledge sharing, with the imperative of driving the district to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Forest of Dean District Council is implementing a range of measures to decarbonise its Coleford office building, including installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage system and replacing existing lighting with LEDs. The project aims to demonstrate how decarbonising assets and operations can be economically viable and deliver long-term financial benefits to organisations.