The council is aiming for net zero by 2040
The Guildhall, Hull City Council’s headquarters (Image: Hull Live)
Hull City Council is set to develop a new Climate and Nature Strategy for 2026 to 2040. A report to the council‘s cabinet criticised progress made so far on elements of its transition to net zero.
The council’s ‘2030 Carbon Neutral Strategy’ has come to the end of its life, the cabinet have been informed. The outgoing strategy “led to a lack of clarity,” the report said, by seeking to cover both the council‘s actions as a business as well as its wider work in the city. This, it is said, will now be separate.
On Monday, March 23, the council’s cabinet approved the recommendations of a report which included confirming its support of the delivery of a new strategy. The report also discussed targets for reaching net zero and carbon neutrality, whilst explaining the difference between the terms.
Whilst being carbon neutral allows emissions to be ‘offset’ by the funding of things like trees and bushes, net zero is a higher benchmark. For net zero to be achieved, emissions must be reduced to as close to zero as possible before any offsetting can be done.
The council aims for net zero by 2040. The aim of making Hull carbon neutral by 2030 will be used as a milestone on the way to 2040, the report explains.
The report says that so far “the speed and pace of transition to a net zero organisation is not quick enough to meet the target.” It explains that currently, the council’s recorded carbon emissions are “2,900 tonnes higher than they should be on a balanced pathway to meeting the council’s 2040 net zero target.”
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The report says that “good progress” is expected to be made on the decarbonisation of the council’s fleet of vehicles, which is expected to be done by 2030. However it goes onto say that there remains a requirement for “a robust plan to be developed and implemented in order to address the challenges presented by adopting electric vehicle charging and the impact this has on contracts, property and service delivery.”
The report also says there are “currently no robust plans in place to deliver the carbon reduction required from buildings outside of those connected to the district heating network.” The network works by providing low carbon heat to buildings through underground pipes carrying hot water through the city.
The council’s cabinet member for environment, Cllr Charles Quinn said: “Hull City Council is in a better position than it has ever been in before to deliver on our climate and nature commitments. A cleaner, greener council means saving council tax payers money, improving Hull’s air quality and restores nature in our communities.
“For the first time the council has a climate action plan with clear targets to hit year on year to deliver a cleaner, greener city for Hull residents. The strategy also sets up a new fund to improve the energy efficiency of council buildings. A further city-wide strategy, to deliver climate and nature improvements for all of Hull, will follow soon.
“It’s vital that our transition to cleaner energy, and more environmental practices, is done in a way that is fair and brings real benefits to absolutely everyone in Hull. Our climate and nature strategy will protect jobs and keep bills low.”
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