Council Top In Wales For Reducing Carbon Emissions

Wrexham Council is among the front runners in the country when it comes to reducing CO2.

The authority was placed in the top 10% in the first ever Carbon Reduction Commitment Performance League Table published on 8th November by the Environment Agency.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme is the mandatory UK Government carbon trading scheme, which requires participating organisations to monitor, report and reduce annual carbon emissions, and pay a £12 fee for each tonne of carbon emitted.

For Wrexham County Borough Council this applies to all emissions from their non domestic buildings such as schools, offices, libraries, and leisure centres.

2106 organisations were ranked in the league table for 2010/11 and Wrexham was placed in the top 10%. Of all the participating organisations Wrexham came 6th out of 193 UK local authorities and top of all 17 local authorities in Wales.

Cllr David Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, who has responsibility for carbon reduction, said: “This is fantastic news. The council has worked really hard to reduce its carbon footprint over the last two years and these efforts have paid off.

“We are not complacent. We are always looking for news ways to be greener and to further reduce our carbon emissions and we hope to continue to be at the forefront of this agenda both within Wales and across the UK.”

Philip Walton, Strategic Director said:

“We’re delighted to be in the top 10% of the table and we will look to continue to improve not only to help the environment and tackle climate change but also to minimise the impact of rising energy costs on council budgets so that we ensure we’re giving residents in Wrexham the best value for money that we can.”