Climate Action and Carbon Reduction Plan 2024 - 2027

Rationale

Introduction

Climate change

International, regional, and local context

Hyper-local context: mapping our emissions

• Conversion factors
• Scope 1 and 2 emissions
• Scope 3 emissions

What we are doing

Appendix one

Appendix two

A note on conversion factors

The Council aims to achieve net zero by 2050. In order to achieve this, it is necessary that all of the Council’s scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are recorded annually to ensure that we are on the right track in terms of decarbonisation.

A conversion factor is a figure that is multiplied by another variable (such as fuel consumption) to give an estimated carbon dioxide equivalent figure. Where possible, the Greenhouse Gas Accounting tool produced by Local Partnerships and the Local Government Association (LGA) has been used for emissions conversion factors as this is the standard conversion tool for UK local authorities. Where a variable is not covered by the Greenhouse Gas Accounting Tool, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) Emissions Factors have been used instead. Finally, please note that, where appropriate, the most recent set of available data has been used. Due to inconsistencies in data availability this can be financial year 2022-23, financial year 2023-24, or calendar year 2023. Regardless of which of these is used, annual data will always be taken from a single year, 365 day period to ensure consistency in reporting.

Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Scope 1 emissions are those that arise from the direct combustion of fossil fuels, and thus encompasses the burning of natural gas across all Council buildings fitted with gas boilers, and the combustion of fossil fuels in Council fleet vehicles with internal combustion engines. Scope 2 emissions are those that arise indirectly from the production of electricity that is purchased from the grid by a Local Authority. Scope 3 emissions are those that arise indirectly from procurement and the supply chain of goods and services purchased by the Council.

Fleet emissions

The Council’s fleet consists of 69 vehicles, 15 of which are 26 tonne refuse collection vehicles (RCVs). Since the Council did not break down fuel consumption data by fuel type back in 2018, the conversion factor for “diesel (average biofuel blend)” was used for the purpose of the following calculations.

Fleet fuel consumption for financial year 2018-19 was 275,150 litres of diesel. This equates to 691.19 tCO2e.

Fleet fuel consumption for 2022-23 was 266,055 litres of white diesel. This equates to 668.35 tCO2e, constituting an emissions reduction of -3.3% relative to 2018-19 figures.

Energy tariffs

The Council is on a 100% green energy tariff, supplied by npower. There is a contract in place for this financial year 204-25 for Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) across all Council-occupied premises (admin buildings, museum, car parks, public conveniences etc.). This is 100% renewable energy. The Council’s Gas is supplied by Corona Energy.

Emissions from Council-occupied buildings

The following table is for all Council-owned operational properties that are currently occupied (whole or in part) by Wyre Forest District Council. Each Council-owned building has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or a Display Energy Certificate (DEC), depending on building type. These are calculated using the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). All properties get a rating ranging from A (0-25) to G (over 150). The higher the score, the less energy efficient and the more environmentally damaging the property is. Note that EPCs are valid for 10 years after the date of issue, whilst DECs are only valid for a year from the date of issue, and thus should be renewed annually.

Total annual CO2 emissions from council-occupied buildings: 561.05 tCO2e

10 years after the date of issue, whilst DECs are only valid for a year from the date of issue, and thus should be renewed annually.

2018-19:

• Total tCO2e from electricity usage – 185.36
• Total tCO2e from gas usage – 126.44
• Total tCO2e from fleet fuel consumption - 691.19
• Total tCO2e – 1002.99

2022-23:

• Total tCO2e from electricity usage – 182.84
• Total tCO2e from gas usage – 112.93
• Total tCO2e from fleet fuel consumption - 668.35
• Total tCO2e – 964.12

Percentage reduction in combined scope 1 and 2 emissions between the years 2018-19 and 2022-23: -3.88%

Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions are those that arise indirectly from supply chains, procurement, staff travel, and investments/securities. According to the Local Government Association, Scope 3 emissions typically account for around 70-80% of the total emissions of a given Local Authority. Therefore, it is vitally important that they are recorded as accurately as possible. By working out which areas of our supply chains are the greatest emitters, it is possible to identify the emissions hotspots of the Council. Knowing this then allows a Council to prioritise which aspects of its operations should be decarbonised first.

Leased out buildings

Emissions from buildings that are owned by the Council but leased out to tenants are included in Appendix One. The total annual emissions from leased out buildings is 1,787.37 tCO2e.

Business travel: grey fleet mileage claims

According to 2021 Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census data, 59.9% of people in our district travel to work by car or van. This is far above the England average of 44.5%.

 A total of 38,555.1 miles were claimed for the financial year 2023-24. The Council does not require staff to record vehicle type or fuel type on a mileage claim so the conversion factor for “average medium car (unknown fuel)” was used, as this is the default conversion factor to use when the two aforementioned variables are not known. This resulted in a grey fleet mileage claims emissions figure of 10.34 tCO2e.

Business travel: rail

Whilst rail travel is recorded via rail expense claims, the origin and destination stations are not a requirement. Carbon emissions associated with rail travel have been estimated via the deployment of a spend-based factor.

The total amount of money claimed via rail expenses for all employees of Wyre Forest District Council for the financial year 2023-24 was £4,154.86. Using the spend-based factor, this equates to approximately 1.72 tCO2e of total emissions for rail travel.

Rather than using a spend-based factor in the future, the Council are exploring the option of asking staff to record the carbon emissions of their journey (in tCO2e) as recorded by train ticketing apps such as TrainLine or TrainPal.

Business travel: air

No business travel by air has occurred in the previous or current financial year, and there are no plans for it to occur at any point in the future.

Water usage

The Council spent approximately £56,778.63 on water supply and water treatment services in the financial year 2023-24. Using Defra’s spend based conversion factors, this equates to approximately 24.8 tCO2e.

Pension funds

Wyre Forest District Council contributes to the Worcestershire Pension Fund, itself a part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Central Pool. The LGPS is one of the largest pension schemes in the UK with over 6 million members. According to UK Divest, in the period March 2020 – May 2022, Worcestershire Pension Fund reduced the carbon footprint of its total equities by 13.63%. However, financed emissions have increased by 5.51% from the baseline in this period. The most recent consultation exercise was undertaken in August 2023 inviting staff to complete an online survey relating to the investment choices.

For a more in-depth explanation of Worcestershire Pension Fund’s investments, please see Appendix Two.

Total estimated Scope 3 emissions arising from pension fund related investment for the year 2023: 45,743.22 tCO2e

Emergency accomodation

The Council regularly pays for Wyre Forest residents to go into hotels or bed and breakfasts as a form of emergency temporary accommodation. The total spent on this for financial year 2023-24 was £98,000. The Local Partnerships Greenhouse Gas Accounting Tool does not have a conversion factor for hotel/guest house usage, Defra’s spend based factor for “Accommodation Services” was employed to give a final figure of 51.02 tCO2e.

Net annual emissions of Wyre Forest District Council

• Total Scope 1 and 2 emissions: 964.12 tCO2e
• Total Scope 3 emissions: 47,618.47 tCO2e
• Total estimated annual Council emissions: 48,582.59 1137 tCO2e