The leader of Wiltshire Council, Councillor Richard Clewer, says he is “confident but not complacent” about reaching the target of a carbon-neutral council by 2030.

The commitment was first made at a full council meeting in February 2019 during which councillors recognised a state of climate emergency.

In a cabinet meeting yesterday, Cllr Richard Clewer said that “85% of the work is done."

He acknowledged, however, that the remaining 15% is “harder and takes longer."

According to the data presented at the meeting, the council is currently on track to meet its target, despite a post-pandemic rebound in emissions last financial year.

This has been achieved by tackling emissions from heating and powering buildings, the council’s largest area of emissions.

“If we can do it, we don’t see why any other large organisation can’t do it,” Cllr Clewer said.

“We’ve made the type of progress that if the rest of the world had made, we’d be in a much better place right now.”

Meanwhile, it is not yet known whether the county is on track to reach the same carbon-neutral goal.

The report reads: “The data for Wiltshire-wide emissions is reported nationally with a two-year delay, so it is not yet clear whether a similar trend will be seen, but existing data shows that county emissions are not reducing in line with our targets (based on our independent report on pathways to carbon neutrality).”

In February last year, Extinction Rebellion protesters climbed on top of Trowbridge County Hall as part of a protest against Wiltshire Council’s 'lack of action' on climate change.

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Transport remains the largest source of emissions in Wiltshire and is lacking signs of a significant enough reduction.

Jon Hubbard, independent councillor for Melksham South, noted that: “Our county is littered with village halls and community buildings, many of which would hugely benefit from solar panels or other green infrastructure.”

Liberal Democrat councillors, Dr Brian Matthews and Richard Budden, expressed their concerns over the pollution caused by waste incineration.

The report says: “Wiltshire-wide emissions are largely not within the control of the council but the council is focussing on areas it can have an influence and impact, and reporting progress to provide leadership and a basis for partnership working.

“A revised environmental policy is proposed for adoption, in order to provide a basis for the council to mitigate its impact on the environment and to show leadership to its partners and suppliers.”

Overall, the amount of renewable energy produced on the council estate has trebled in the last year from 550,000 kWh in 2021-22 to 1,745,060 kWh in 2022-23.