TWO years ago, BCP Council set the ambitious target of becoming completely carbon neutral by 2030.

It unveiled 153 measures in a new action plan to help achieve its goal, which included procuring all council electricity to zero-carbon renewable sources, tackling the mis-selling of energy products and identifying and procuring land suitable for tree planting schemes.

But just how successful has the council been so far, and how is the man in charge feeling about the target?

The Successes

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is one of five UK towns and cities praised as global leaders by carbon disclosure charity CDP.

On the council’s website, a list can be found detailing what it has achieved towards its goal so far.

So far, the council has:

  • Incorporated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into our Corporate Strategy.
  • Improved the safety of cyclists and walkers at key transport locations using the £312k Government Emergency Active Travel grant.
  • Incorporated sustainable procurement in BCP Council’s new financial regulations.
  • Helped make 1000 essential journeys with the Beryl Bikes scheme.
  • Referred 691 households into the Local Energy Advice Partnership, generating carbon savings and over £770,000 in energy bill reductions and financial benefits.
  • Undertaken work at bus facilities in response to Covid-19 measures has ensured that public transport can be used safely.
  • Used artwork created by school pupils for the Leave Only Footprints campaign, to encourage care of the environment by visitors.
  • Surveyed staff on their Covid experience to help introduce planned ways of working to decrease commuting.
  • Installed electric charging points at council depots.
  • Looked at trialling an electric refuse collection vehicle.
  • Formed a coastal engineering partnership with Dorset Council.

Councillor Mike Greene, portfolio holder for sustainability

Bournemouth Echo:

As portfolio holder for sustainability at BCP Council, Cllr Mike Greene is in charge of the project.

He described the target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 as “ambitious but realistic”.

He told the Daily Echo: “It is a very challenging target but I feel that we should be able get their, as long as we take it all seriously.

“There is a huge amount to do. We have got the requirement to get to net-zero by 2030, what we have done so far, we have improved how much carbon we are omitting.

“We are going to start doing a root and branch analysis of how we can save carbon on what we have got.

“It is a realistic and it is an ambitious target. It is not an easy thing to do. The government’s target is 2050 so we would be accelerating ahead of the national target.

“There is a lot of work to be done to identify exactly how we will achieve it.”

Cllr Greene said the council has ambitious plans to procure electrical vehicles for the council and said there was a big focus on solar panels.

He continued: “As well as having a target for the council to get to 2030 with its own activities, we have got another target which is for the whole of BCP to become carbon neutral by 2050, that is where the public are involved.

“For example, 15 per cent of the journeys taken within BCP are under 2km, that means they could be walked in 25 minutes or cycled in 10 minutes.

“As a conurbation we suffer massively from congestion, but it would not be necessary to take all the cars off the road to solve the congestion problem.

“If we replaced 15 per cent of car journeys with walking or cycling then that would solve the congestion.

“Over the next two years and on from there, you will see a very significant step up in the activities we are doing to make sure we achieve our target.”

How do you feel the council are doing in meeting their target? What more can be done to become carbon neutral by 2030?