Data published by Climate Emergency UK show that local councils in the West of England have scored above average on the organisation's Council Climate Action Scorecard. Only 41% of the UK’s 388 local and combined authorities scored above 50%, with the average score being just 32%.
Climate Emergency UK scored all UK councils on their climate actions against seven criteria: biodiversity; buildings and heating; collaboration and engagement; governance and finance; planning and land use; transport; and waste reduction and food.
Bath & North East Somerset ranks at 57% overall, followed by Bristol City Council at 55%, the West of England Combined Authority at 51%, South Gloucestershire Council at 46%, and North Somerset Council at 42%. The average score across all councils listed was 35%.
Bath & North East Somerset Council ranks third in the country on biodiversity with a total score of 69%, recognising the programmes and campaigns that have been put in place to boost diversity following the council’s declaration of an ecological emergency in July 2020 including the Bathscape, Somer Valley, Waterspace Connected and Chew Valley Reconnected. Bath & North East Somerset Council was the first Local Planning Authority in the West of England to adopt a biodiversity net gain policy. The highest score achieved by the council was for Buildings & Heating (84%), ranked fifth in the country. This is as a result of innovative schemes such as the energy exchange blades installed in the King’s Bath to take heat from the King’s Spring to heat the Roman Baths and Pump Room as well as the Bath World Heritage Centre and Roman Bath Clore Learning Centre.
Meanwhile, Bristol City Council ranked highest in Collaboration & Engagement at 88%, reflecting the city's strong performance in working alongside other councils to both improve its own climate action, and support others in decarbonising. The council also scored highly in the areas of Building & Heating (80%) and Governance & Finance (72%), suggesting noticeable progress in reducing emissions from public and private buildings, as well as the incorporation of climate action into all of the council's activities, services, decision making, forward planning and structures.
The West of England Combined Authority's overall score was slightly above the 46% average for combined authorities across the country, with the authority ranking third overall in the UK. This result was predominantly driven by high scores on Buildings, Heating & Green Skills (71%) and Planning & Biodiversity (60%), reflecting the authority's progress in upskilling the local workforce to build a greener future, as well as taking action to boost biodiversity and renewable energy in the region.
The full results and methodology can be found on the Climate Emergency website here: https://councilclimatescorecards.uk/.
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