Two Oxfordshire councils have admitted their districts are “lagging behind” on plans to reach net zero by 2045.<\/p>\n
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils said they needed an annual average reduction in carbon emissions in their areas of 9% between 2021 and 2025 to stay on track.<\/p>\n
Vale has managed an average of 3.3% reduction in annual emissions between 2019 and 2023 and South achieved 5% over the same period.<\/p>\n
Both authorities said they were “limited” in their ability to meet the target, as a large proportion of district-wide emissions are outside their control<\/p>\n
The councils said they were still “well placed” to influence emissions reduction and had taken a number of steps over the past few years, such as:<\/p>\n
Reducing the council’s greenhouse gas emissions, including major decarbonisation projects at leisure centresInstalling electric vehicle charging baysProviding funding to local organisations for energy efficiency initiatives and decarbonisation measures<\/p>\n
Reports for both councils said: “The rate of decarbonisation is accelerating slightly but is still lagging behind where it needs to be to reach net zero targets.”<\/p>\n