City council second greenest in East Midlands

City of Lincoln Council has been ranked the second greenest authority in the East Midlands, according to new research.

Findings by Migrate, an energy switching company, found the authority came ahead of councils in Nottingham and Leicester based on tonnes of CO2 per capita and a reduction in its carbon footprint.

The firm used data from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in order to rank UK councils.

According to the research, the city council had reduced its emissions by 40.7% in the past 10 years and had 3.52 tonnes of CO2 per capita.

The authority, which recently declared a climate emergency, missed out on the top spot to Oadby and Wigston Borough Council in Leicestershire.

Kate Ellis, director of major developments at the City of Lincoln Council. Picture: Stuart Wilde.

Kate Ellis, director of major developments at the city council: “City of Lincoln Council remains committed to reducing Lincoln’s carbon footprint, by working with our partners to develop and implement initiatives that reduce emissions in Lincoln.

“In March 2012 the council hosted Lincoln’s first low carbon conference with attendance from 45 organisations. Out of this came the Low Carbon Lincoln Plan 2014-20, which included a delivery plan and annual monitoring commitment.

“Further to this, the council has recently declared a state of ‘Climate Emergency’ for the city, and has itself committed to being carbon neutral by the year 2030.

Table of top 10 greenest local authorities in the East Midlands. Picture: Migrate.

“Alongside this, the council and partners have set up the Lincoln Climate Commission, which has been tasked with formulating a vision as to what Lincoln will look like in the future, alongside a set of achievable actions and a long-term plan.”

Last month, the city council declared a climate emergency and became just the second in Lincolnshire to do so.

Included in the declaration was a pledge for the authority to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Extinction Rebellion campaigners outside The Guildhall in Lincoln ahead of the City of Lincoln Council meeting on declaring a climate emergency. Picture: Calvin Robinson.

It also called on Lincolnshire County Council and other district authorities to work with the council on “critical areas” such as  highways, energy, waste, health and wellbeing.

The authority’s leader, Councillor Ric Metcalfe, said the council needed to “reboot its efforts” in tackling climate change.

Rosemary Robinson, a campaigner with Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire, said the move by the city council was a “big step forward”.

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