Council spends £230k a year on green energy levy

Wiltshire Council said it was on its way to net zero by 2030

A council has spent £230,000 a year on green electricity as it tries to meet its environmental targets.

Wiltshire Council wants to achieve net zero by 2030, meaning it would balance the amount of greenhouse gases - like carbon dioxide - it produced with the amount it removed from the atmosphere.

In September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported the council was paying an extra 1.154p for every kWh of electricity it uses to support solar, wind and tidal energy.

At a meeting of the council's cabinet on Tuesday, opposition councillors questioned the cost of the levy but the council's leader Ian Thorn described it as "perfectly reasonable".

Conservative group deputy leader Dominic Muns asked the meeting: "So £230,000 allows us to show carbon neutrality. What do we get?"

In response, Mr Thorn said: "It plays a part in achieving the objective of this administration and the last that we achieve net zero."

The council, which declared a climate emergency in 2019, has its own climate team and has reduced its direct emissions by nearly 89% since 2014.

Because the electricity tariff supports the production of green energy production, it can be counted when the council calculates its emissions.

Councillor Paul Sample, cabinet member for environment, climate and waste, told the meeting the authority had made "strong progress" its net zero goal.

"Our carbon emissions are falling year on year. We have invested in cleaner and more efficient buildings – reducing our energy bills and saving public money," Mr Sample said.

"These practical changes reduce our carbon footprint while saving public money and improving services.

"I want Wiltshire Council to lead by example. I want our experience to inspire local people and community organisations to make meaningful changes too."