Suffolk County Council pledges £12.8m to decarbonise buildings

The Suffolk County Council cabinet agreed to a £12.8m investment

A council has agreed to invest millions of pounds into reducing carbon emissions at more than 130 of its buildings.

Libraries, fire stations, council offices, children's homes and archive facilities are among the buildings Suffolk County Council has pledged to decarbonise.

The authority's cabinet agreed to the £12.8m investment on Tuesday.

Among the planned measures are new solar panels and replacing boilers.

Richard Rout, Conservative cabinet member for finance and the environment, said it was "abundantly clear" more investment was needed to meet net zero targets.

"The council has a portfolio of wide-ranging buildings including offices and fire stations in both urban and rural locations. Each have different characteristics, infrastructure, operational needs and users.

"We will need to make sure each building gets the most effective solution to specific requirements," he said.

Richard Rout, Conservative cabinet member for the environment, said it was "abundantly clear" the investment was needed

Other measures include continuing the rollout of LED lights and reviews of heating and ventilation controls, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Improved thermal efficiency and behavioural changes are also planned.

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Work on a new electricity contract, due to begin from April, will switch procurement from nuclear means to solar, wind, hydro and other clean renewable sources, the cabinet report said.

The council also reduced heat and power costs from £7m in 2018/19 to £6.6m last year through existing work, it said.

Andrew Stringer, leader of the opposition Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent group, said he hoped to see maintained schools become a part of the programme, and hoped it would encourage others to work towards their own decarbonisation programmes.