Council not on track to hit net zero goal - report

Barnsley Council set net zero goals after declaring a climate emergency in 2019

Barnsley Council is not "on track" to reduce its carbon emissions, five years after declaring a climate emergency, a report says.

Documents say the authority's current trajectory means it may not meet targets set in a "net zero" pledge made in 2019.

The aim was for the council to become carbon neutral by 2040 and the town itself five years later.

While progress had been made, the council said it had met challenges "in the absence of clear policy, legislation and funding".

So far, the local authority has reduced its electricity consumption by 8% between April 2022 and April 2023.

In the same time period, the council also cut its gas usage by 10%, the Local Democracy Service reports.

James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport, said the current data did not reflect the impact of all the work carried out to date.

He said: “We’re proud to be thinking differently about how we can achieve our net zero targets for our organisation and borough, empowering our services, partners and local businesses.

"This report highlights some of the ways we will continue to make this possible, such as recasting our sustainability team as a centre of excellence, sharing their knowledge and offering training."

The authority said it has had to make "difficult decisions" regarding its budget to ensure the basic needs of residents were met amid the cost of living crisis, meaning the team was operating with "minimal resources".

The report added: “Due to the departure of staff, movement of key resources into other service areas and absence of central government funding, an appropriate and suitable feasibility and enabling fund to facilitate project development was never identified or allocated.”

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].