Bid to decarbonise West Lindsey Guildhall and reduce costs

West Lindsey District Council is rushing to bring forward £60,000 of funding to help towards a bid to decarbonise the Guildhall and avoid a further £30,000 bill in future years.

The authority will vote on whether to bid to the government for match funding towards a replacement boiler and further significant upgrades to the heating infrastructure.

A report before councillors next week suggests that a new air-source heat pump along with solar panels could provide an average CO2e saving of around 42 tonnes a year at a cost of around £332,059.

It is hoping to apply to the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme 3b round, which requires that WLDC provide 12% of match funding in order to apply for up to £500,000.

“PSDS3b offers an opportunity to bid for funding that would produce a step change in the way we heat our buildings and demonstrate our commitment to WLDC’s Carbon Management Plan and net zero carbon reduction targets,” said the report.

“It also provides a potential opportunity to improve our buildings and will provide planned replacements of plant that would have required total funding via scarce council resources in the future.”

The council also looked at bidding for improvements to Gainsborough Leisure Centre and the Trinity Arts Centre, but found that 2018 upgrades to the former and the latter being too small meant they would not meet the criteria.

WLDC currently has £500,000 earmarked to support delivery of its Carbon Management Plan and around £260,000 in capital funding for carbon reduction initiatives around the district.

It has the support of the government-funded Midlands Net Zero Hub, which supports projects for investment into energy and is helping to work on its bidding process.

Previous bids to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme resulted in £68,000 to fund solar panels and battery storage at the Caenby Corner Depot.