Investing in cleaner greener buildings to achieve Net Zero target
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sheffield City Council, and Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Trust are to receive millions of pounds from the Government's Public Sector Decarbonisation scheme to invest in making their buildings greener, helping to lead the way in reaching our ambitious climate target of Net Zero by 2050.
Incredibly, reducing carbon emissions from public buildings across England and Wales, including hospitals, schools and council buildings -through initiatives like solar panels, energy efficient heat pumps, new insulation and windows, will help cut up to 2.4 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 annually. This is the equivalent of removing all emissions from a city the size of Sheffield.
The Government’s commitment to achieving ‘Net Zero’ by 2050 is a welcome and ambitious target and one that I am pleased to support.
The recently announced grants are explicitly designed to facilitate efficiency improvements in public sector buildings and include the following:
- Barnsley Metropolitan Council £1,331,940 and £4,316,000
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust £2,262,199
- Sheffield City Council £1,010,860
Ending the UK's contribution to climate change
I’m particularly proud that we were the first major economy in the world to put into law our target to end the UKs contribution to climate change and this investment of almost £10 million locally, and around £1 billion across the country, evidences our commitment to this critical target. I’m in no doubt that reaching our climate targets will mean massive change across our economy, but I’m confident we can do this in a way that protects jobs, through the creation of new industries and by attracting significant inward investment.
What we must not do is find ways to export our problems overseas.
Of course, we will not achieve Net Zero by simply investing in public sector initiatives, so I’m hugely reassured that this is just one part of a much bigger plan published by the Government. Our Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy offers a blueprint for the UK to become home to the world’s first low-carbon industrial sector, safeguarding thousands of jobs and creating even more.
The new strategy will support existing industries to decarbonise whilst encouraging the growth of new, low carbon industries across the UK. This will not only help protect and create skilled jobs and businesses in the UK, but will also give businesses long-term certainty to invest in home-grown decarbonisation technology leading to the jobs of the future.
Building on the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution published last year, these new policies set out a clear and innovative vision for building a more competitive, greener future for the manufacturing and construction sectors.
I am certain that across Penistone and Stocksbridge local businesses, communities and people will come together and draw on their renowned reputation for industrial innovation to ensure we meet our Net Zero targets.
