Climate Emergency Action Plan Annual Report 2023
The Climate Emergency Action Plan Annual Update report sets out the progress that the Council has made to date to reduce direct carbon emissions, as well as tackling wider carbon emissions in the borough, as set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan to achieve the key target of net zero carbon emissions across the Council by 2030. The plan also details the key focus areas for 2023/24 to further reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality for residents, who are at the heart of the report.
Compared to 2020 (Pandemic Year), emissions across the borough have increased by 7.2%. This increase is seen across all sectors in London and is not specific to just Hounslow. However, when compared to 2019 levels, the wider borough carbon footprint has decreased by 8%.
In the last year, the Council has continued its ambitious work under the CEAP and has seen a total reduction in the Council's own carbon footprint of 10% since its baseline year of 2018/19, and 8% since last year (2021/22).
Some of the highlights from the past year include:
• Awarding over £200,000 to six local community groups via the Hounslow Community Energy Fund to design and develop projects that will improve the energy efficiency of community buildings, with more funding to be awarded in 2023.
• Installing over 300 energy efficiency measures in homes across the borough through the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme (GHG LAD).
• Securing £4.6M from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to retrofit council owned stock.
• Investing £9.3M in fabric first measures to improve energy efficiency of social housing.
• Saving an estimated 62 tonnes of CO2 from installed cavity wall insulation in council owned assets.
• Procuring and leasing 200 electric and hybrid vehicles.
• Trialling a new borough-wide E-bike rental scheme.
• Installing 220 new residential charge points and 79 public charge points across the borough.
• Securing £28,700 to deliver a School Superzone pilot at Green Dragon School to improve air quality and the health and wellbeing of pupils and families.
• Rolling-out communal food waste recycling to 24,000 flatted households, a total of 75% of all purpose-built flats in the borough.
• Diverting 738.5 tonnes of food to anaerobic digestion, saving £67k in disposal costs to date.
• Launching the London West Innovation Network (LWIN).
• Training 10 Hounslow residents via the Council's Green Skills Bootcamp focusing on land management and arboriculture.
• Planting 8,228 trees and whips across the borough.
• Giving 948 trees to residents as part of the Council's Free Trees for Hounslow initiative.
• Planting 203 trees on the kerbside.
• Investing £5M in improving the borough's parks and open spaces.
View the Climate Emergency Action Plan - Third Annual Update Report for more information on the achievements made in the last year and actions that the Council is looking to progress in 2023/24.
