Council net zero 2030

Council net zero 2030

This page highlights the work we are doing to achieve our goal of going 'net zero' as a Council by 2030.

2030 net zero organisation actions

So far we have;

  • Conducted a review of our fleet and produced a forward fleet plan to transition our vehicle fleet to EV.
  • We are currently a registered EV installer and have been using in house resources to install EV charging points for our fleet conversion.
  • Commissioned an organisational decarbonisation plan with Exeter University.
  • Carried out energy audits for Kilworthy park.
  • Secured £233,000 through the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund to produce a costed heat decarbonisation plan for our leisure centres
  • £500,000 was approved to facilitate solar panel installation across all four SHDC leisure centres, which will reduce organisational carbon emissions by 131 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is equivalent to the energy emissions of 38 homes. Leisure centre energy use is enormous, roughly 1,333,000 kWh, equivalent to the average energy use of nearly 300 homes.
  • Introduced an EV salary scheme for staff and increase the cycle to work threshold to £5000 to account for e-bike purchases
  • Reviewed Solar Canopy opportunities in Council owned car parks with a second review undertaken with the South West Energy Hub.
  • Saved through ‘agile’ working since January 2021 an estimated 300,000 miles of travel has been avoided, leading to a saving of 106tCO2e (Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent).
  • The Councils Offices at Follaton House are powered by solar PV and we use 100% renewable tariff's.
  • Climate Change will be reflected on future role profiles across the organisation, depending on grade these are:
    • Grades 9 to 4 - Climate Change: Contribute to the Council’s corporate objectives in relation to climate change by considering the environmental impact of individual and collective actions, working to reduce resource and energy use, minimise waste, and anticipate and enhance the efficiency of services in response to a changing climate, wherever possible, to help the council reduce its own carbon footprint and that of the district.
    • Grade 4 and above - Climate Change: Promote and role model the Council’s corporate objectives in relation to climate change by considering the environmental impact of individual and collective actions, working to reduce resource and energy use, minimise waste, and anticipate and enhance the efficiency of services in response to a changing climate, wherever possible, to help the council reduce its own carbon footprint and that of the district.

Publications and reports

Electric vehicle charging

Since declaring our Climate Emergency, West Devon Borough Council has been committed to working with our partners to reduce carbon emissions across the Borough.

We are working hard across the Borough to improve the network of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points available to both residents and visitors alike and already have charging points installed in a number of car parks.

Where are EV charging points available?

Electric vehicle charging is available in the following towns:

You can also search our car park directory by selecting "electric vehicle charging" in the menu.

Car Park Directory

Carbon literacy

Following Carbon Literacy Training for our senior leaders, West Devon Borough Council has been awarded bronze level as a Carbon Literate Organisation. Further training is now being offered internally to a wider range of staff levels.

A Carbon Literate Organisation is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally Carbon Literate”; maintaining a substantial proportion of its workforce as Carbon Literate and demonstrating its Carbon Literacy through its organisational behaviour.

Carbon Literacy is an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.

District behaviour change

  • A Council led Climate and Biodiversity Community Forum was established in 2021, which the Local Government Association featured as a case study in 2021. It has since ended. The forum as helped the Council guide its work and focus such as refining grant scheme criteria and promote work such as a public survey into attitudes around car share and bike share schemes. 
  • In 2021, the Council Partnered with Carbon Savvy to run two engagement campaigns​​:
    • Lifestyle Spring Clean Week - from Friday 12 to Sunday 21 March. This was a chance for individuals to measure their carbon footprint with the Carbon Savvy calculator and learn about steps they can take to reduce it. Carbon Savvy was chosen because of their unique approach to carbon footprints which shows that not only is carbon-saving easier than people think, but it can actually increase happiness and wellbeing at the same time, as many things which improve your quality of life also contributes to doing your bit for the climate, as well as saving money in the long run.
    • Shop4good - Saturday 30th October to Saturday 13th November. the programme promoted ten ways to shop that reduce CO2 emissions and raise well-being.  The campaign followed new research that shows consumer interest in sustainability has increased significantly since the pandemic, and suggests consumer buying power may be doing more to help the climate than initially realised.