Climate Action and Adaptation Plan priority actions

1. Prioritise climate change awareness across the organisation by ensuring carbon literacy training and other related learning and development options are embedded within the corporate training offer.

2. Seek and bid for government funding and other green investment opportunities to support decarbonisation and energy transition projects.

3. Develop and action a long-term climate change communications strategy and plan, covering internal and external communications.

4. Deliver estate decarbonisation projects.

5. Initiate and deliver the LED streetlighting programme.

6. Launch and deliver a Reinvestment Scheme to support decarbonisation across corporate and education estates and develop school partnerships.

7. Explore renewable energy purchasing and viability of REGOs.

8. Explore a Forward Funded Investment model for maximising on-site renewable energy generation potential.

9. Deliver the installation of charge points across the estate to support transition of corporate and fire fleet to electric vehicles.

10. Purchase/lease electric vehicles to replace existing assets, and explore other alternative fuel options.

11. Develop and implement a transport hierarchy and related supporting policies to encourage and enable staff to adopt more sustainable travel choices.

12. Develop a corporate Sustainable Procurement Policy and support its implementation across commissioning teams, focusing initially on high-value, long-term contracts.

13. Improve data collection for procurement-related (Scope 3) emissions and establish reduction targets.

14. Develop corporate Land Use Policy that includes climate change considerations and support its implementation for decision-making regarding WSCC-owned property.

15. Develop WSCC carbon offsetting plan and establish partnerships with other local and regional offsetting and nature recovery projects.

16. Continue to lead and support the development and roll-out of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, biodiversity net gain, and the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

17. Develop detailed climate adaptation actions based on assessed risks to service delivery and further embed climate resilience (business continuity planning, asset management plans).

18. Continue to engage residents, businesses, and community groups in climate action, and identify the role of WSCC in supporting area-wide mitigation and resilience planning.

19. Support WSCC schools in delivering climate action through a partnership approach to achieving energy efficiency, sustainable transport, climate change curricula, food security, and other key mitigation and resilience actions.

20. Continue to support the community net zero transition through a solar PV group purchasing scheme and Local Area Energy Planning.