| Actions to deliver energy-efficient homes, sustainable transport and reduce waste have put Brighton & Hove among the top 30 councils for climate action in the UK.
This comes just 2 weeks after Brighton & Hove was put on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s A list of cities for leadership and evidence-based plans – one of only 48 cities in Europe to achieve the top score. Climate Emergency UK’s scorecards assessed 391 councils, rating them for climate action across their services. They awarded Brighton & Hove an average score of 54%, making it one of only 62 in the UK to achieve 50% or more. The scorecards cover actions in 2024 looking at categories including buildings and heating, transport, planning and land use and waste reduction. Brighton & Hove scored 87% for its work to improve energy efficiency and install low carbon heating such as solar panels and heat pumps on its buildings. At the end of 2024, the council published priority areas for solar, wind and district heating in the Decarbonisation Pathways Study earning an increased score for land use and planning. Actions to provide accessible, zero carbon transport, waste reduction and more sustainable food led to a 10% increase on its 2023 score. This included the expansion of the school streets programme, a published food strategy and providing more opportunities to recycle. Councillor Tim Rowkins, deputy leader and Cabinet member for Net Zero, said: “We’re really pleased to get this recognition from Climate Emergency UK for the work we’re doing within our own services and collaborating with partners to decarbonise, to be more energy-efficient, to deliver more climate-resilient infrastructure, to reduce waste and to support the circular economy. “Our plans put net zero and climate actions at the forefront of the council’s work to make a better and fairer Brighton & Hove for everyone – from enabling safe, inclusive, low-emission transport and tackling air pollution to improving the energy performance of our homes and buildings to reduce both emissions and energy bills. “The detail provided in the scorecards will help us to learn and develop, to make sure the actions we take have real impact.” Climate Emergency UK works with residents and councils at a local level to encourage council climate action, and with others at a national level to advocate for further powers and funding for councils and communities.
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The scorecards assessment covers 93 questions on climate action across all council functions. It was created in consultation with more than 90 organisations and individuals including Friends of the Earth, Ashden and mySociety. More information |
