Leicestershire County Council's sets out its bold blueprint for becoming greener and cleaner over the next decade

Leicestershire County Council is to set out its bold blueprint for becoming greener and cleaner over the next decade as it moves closer towards its target of being carbon neutral by 2030.

The authority has saved hundreds of thousands of pounds by slashing energy consumption throughout its buildings.

The local authority has been using energy-efficient measures such as installing solar panels and LED lighting.

The revised Strategic Property Energy Strategy will support a green Covid recovery and involve tailoring energy upgrades with new digital ways of working in mind.

“The next targets are to make a 30-to-50 per cent further reduction in energy consumption from council buildings, compared with last year, along with a 50 per cent increase in onsite renewable or zero-carbon energy generation,” said the county council.

“Among the projects planned for the next year are increasing the amount of solar panels and LED lighting at County Hall, introducing solar panels and electric vehicle chargers at Snibston Colliery Park and investigating low carbon heating solutions at other council-owned properties.

“It is also hoped to install large scale energy generation schemes such as solar farms on council land.”

Cllr Byron Rhodes, the council’s cabinet member for strategic property, said: “We are proud to be a green council.

“We continue to concentrate our efforts on reducing carbon by using renewable or zero-carbon energy generation wherever possible.

“In recent years we have made big savings on our gas and electricity bills and we continue to make huge strides in our journey to become carbon neutral by 2030.”

Saving energy and generating renewable energy are at the heart of the council’s plan to achieve net zero carbon.

And council construction projects are already carried out in a “sustainable manner”.

LED lighting upgrades have been delivered at many council properties and 25 electric vehicle chargers installed at places including County Hall, highways depots and Coalville Business Centre.

“Schools, academies, tenants and developers will also be encouraged to implement low carbon solutions,” said the council.

It is hoped to attract private investment or grant funding to help with implementing the Energy Strategy Action Plan.

The wide-ranging scheme is to be considered by the Scrutiny Commission today (Monday) and by the council’s Cabinet on Monday March 23.

You can watch online here: www.leicestershire.gov.uk/webcast