Our climate action
We're ambitious for Leicester to be a leader in tackling climate change and living more sustainably. Our sustainability action plan presents our long term goals.
What are we doing about the climate emergency?
We have been working to reduce Leicester’s carbon dioxide emissions and ensure the city can adapt to climate change for many years. Since launching Leicester’s Climate Emergency Strategy in 2020 we’ve worked on a range of projects including:
- Using money received through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to reduce the carbon emissions of more than 90 buildings.
- Setting up a city-wide Climate Emergency Partnership, which will co-ordinate wider action on the climate emergency.
- Continuing to invest in energy efficiency improvements to our council houses and delivering programmes to tackle fuel poverty in the city.
- Building new high-quality cycle lanes and an electric bike hire scheme.
- Improving public transport in the city through new bus lanes, improving bus services and increasing the number of electric buses in the city.
- Providing our award-winning eco-schools programme for thousands of children from over 100 schools across the city.
- Reducing flood risk throughout the city and preserving natural habitats.
For further details of the work we’re delivering, see the latest version of our Climate Emergency Action plan, using the quick link to the climate emergency page above.
Our approach
We aim to lead by example on tackling the climate emergency in the way we operate; in the services we provide and through our projects to improve the city and enable the public to do their bit. Our Environmental Policy applies to all our staff and work, and you can find out more about it using the quick link to the Environmental Policy page above. We also expect our suppliers to meet environmental standards in the services and goods they provide, based upon our sustainable procurement guidelines.
Action across all our divisions is co-ordinated by the Climate Emergency Board. The council has a dedicated Sustainability Service working on the climate emergency, reporting into the Deputy City Mayor for Environment and Transportation. In addition, all council decision reports are provided with climate emergency implications as part of our reporting processes.
We also have a Sustainable Schools team, working with local schools to help them become more sustainable in all that they do, and encourage them to follow the Eco-Schools Programme. Further information for schools is available on the Schools Extranet.
We report our actions and carbon emissions every year as part of a global monitoring project called the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), for which we received the highest rating of A in 2021.
Our response to the climate emergency sits alongside our work to protect and conserve biodiversity. We believe that the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis need to be tackled together. View our latest Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).
Carbon footprints
Each year we produce carbon footprint statements showing progress on reducing the city’s and the council’s carbon emissions. The latest versions of these statements are available below.
Contact us
If you have a question about our sustainability work, use the contact methods below to get in touch with us.
Send us an email
Ring us: 0116 454 2110