Council’s net zero plans making progress

The council has made incredible progress in the last few years to reduce its carbon emissions, but we are very open about the fact we still have a long way to go and much work to do.

Since March 2019, when we declared a climate emergency, I have been adamant that achieving net zero by 2030 will be tough. But it’s a challenge that we simply must rise to, so that we can stand tall as an authority knowing that we’re doing the best we can to reduce our operating costs as an organisation and eliminate as many carbon emissions as possible.

The council is not immune to the rising energy costs confronting residents and businesses across the country and this work has an important role to play in making our buildings more efficient and cheaper to run. For example, we have reduced gas consumption in one of our properties, Constantine House, by 80% over a 12-month period.

We can’t control the carbon emissions produced by the businesses we work with, but we can choose who we work with. We seek out businesses who provide good value, offer social value, but also have their own net zero ambitions.

We understand that small and medium size businesses may need help on their journey, and we can help them through our Carbon Charter scheme. This supports businesses to deliver carbon reductions and recognises that many of them, like us, need to reduce their energy costs at this challenging time.

There is also support available from the Free Net Zero Business Advisor service for any Suffolk-based business. This is funded through the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan, where we work with all Suffolk councils, coming together to help people across the county to play their part.