Parish council cuts carbon footprint by 85 per cent
A parish council’s achievement in cutting its carbon footprint by 85 per cent drew a “sharp intake of breath” at a recent conference in Telford, a meeting was told.
Hollinswood & Randlay Parish Council has invested more than £120,000 in the last few years on replacing gas with air source heat pumps and solar panels on community buildings.
Much of the money has come from grants from other organisations, a council meeting heard.
Stuart Fisher, the council’s assistant clerk, told a meeting on Monday (November 17) that he had made a presentation at a recent climate change conference.
Other organisations from across Telford and Wrekin were also there, he said.
“There was a sharp intake of breath when I said we had cut our carbon footprint by 85 per cent,” Mr Fisher told Monday’s meeting.
Mr Fisher admitted that the parish council’s actions are small in comparison with gigantic bodies like the NHS and companies.
But he said what the council has achieved through “planning ahead” after declaring a climate emergency “went down well”.
He added that “doing nothing is not an option” and it is hoped that the investments will pay themselves back over time and lead to cost savings.
The council is also hiring an electric-powered van to carry out its work in the community, and has a “green purchasing policy”.
Councillor Paula Farrar chairs the parish council’s climate change working group.
She reminded the council that it has a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 and that work continues.
Mr Fisher said the council is looking to install batteries to store energy generated by solar panels at its centre in Randlay which has been costed at £15,000.
But he is working on clarifying what the payback period would be on the investment.
He said that he understands that the centre is currently powered 50 per cent by electricity generated by its panels but has to pay for the other half of its use from the grid.
He told the meeting that the batteries could pay for themselves in four to five years “if he has got the information correct”.
“That’s what has currently been suggested,” he said.
