Net Zero – supporting the city to be sustainable

The Decarbonisation Pathways Study – a first for the city – provided Brighton & Hove with a road map for low carbon energy in homes and buildings.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet member for Net Zero & Environmental Services, said: “We are one of the first councils in the country to publish a report like this. Since then, we’ve been collaborating with the National Wealth Fund to develop investment models and have just delivered the largest rollout of rooftop solar on our non-domestic public buildings.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the city to progress high-impact projects for clean, affordable energy, to reduce carbon emissions and improve the lives of residents.

“We are also streets ahead on EV charging and now have the best coverage outside London. But we’re not stopping there – we’re installing more than 500 a year for the next 3 years.

Other projects the council has started or made progress with over the last three months include:

• A major expansion of our recycling provision. New materials will be added to collections from spring 2025 with food waste collections later in the year.
• An ambitious Food Strategy Action Plan to tackle food poverty and food waste and promote climate-friendly food production.
• A new sustainable event commitment for event organisers to deliver sustainable events by reducing waste and emissions.
• Promoted energy-efficient initiatives such as help with winter bills for residents to save money and energy.
• With VisitBrighton supported a sustainability toolkit for restaurants.
• Led the way on climate education, with Brighton & Hove school leaders sharing their expertise.
• Supported active and sustainable travel with new school streets schemes, cheaper weekday travel for bike hire and extending the £1 short hop bus fare.
• Undertook public consultation on the City Plan to shape sustainable development, move away from fossil fuels and protect and enhance nature.
• Made decarbonisation and net zero a central part of Brighton & Hove’s economic plan 2024 to 2027.
• Established a new approach to improve air quality using more comprehensive public data to tackle air pollution