Updated with government right of reply
Leeds is unlikely to meet its net zero target by 2030, the city council has admitted for the first time.
The local authority declared a climate emergency in 2019, which committed it to trying to neutralise the whole city’s carbon footprint within 11 years.
However, while the council remains confident it will become a net zero organisation itself by the end of the decade, it says its “influence” in wiping out emissions elsewhere is limited.
Councillor Helen Hayden, who is the authority’s executive member for climate change, hit out at the government’s approach to funding councils for green projects. She compared it to “ringing up at 9pm for Peter Kay tickets”.
Speaking at a meeting of Leeds’ most senior councillors on Wednesday, Councillor Hayden said: “We’ve got another seven years to reach net zero.
“I’m not going to apologise for having an ambitious target and to be honest, as a council I have a great deal of confidence that we’ll get to net zero.
“But it will be different for the city as a whole. We’ve only so much influence over that.”
The leader of Leeds’ Liberal Democrat group, Coun Stewart Golton, expressed disappointment at the news, but praised council staff for their efforts.
He told the meeting: “I think Councillor Hayden has made one of the most significant statements of her political career so far, in admitting we are very unlikely to reach net zero for the city by 2030 and it will be a challenge for the council to do so internally as well.
“That’s a shame, but one of the things we can be confident about is we do have one of the best teams available to any local authority to help shape the argument and make sure we confront climate change with the best possible tools at our disposal.”
During the last financial year, the council received nearly £20m of government cash to fund green infrastructure, such as low-carbon heating and renewable energy technology.
But Councillor Hayden was heavily critical of the bidding wars conducted by the government between local authorities for the cash, comparing it to a “beauty contest”.
She also said Leeds had received extra money as a result of other councils being unable to deliver projects themselves.
She added: “Would I prefer long-term government funding that we didn’t have to bid for and we didn’t have to go up against other local authorities? Yes, I would.
“That would make reaching (net zero) a whole lot easier, if we knew what funding was coming in when and you didn’t have to ring up at 9pm, like you do to get Peter Kay tickets, to make sure you get government funding.
“It’s not a way to run a country and it’s not a way to tackle this emergency.”
In response, a government spokesperson said: “The government runs a fair, open, and transparent funding process to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent effectively, helping as many families as possible to benefit from energy efficiency improvements that can lower their bills.
“Improving the energy efficiency of homes is the best long-term method of tackling fuel poverty, and that’s why we’ve committed over £6.6 billion in this parliament, with a further £6 billion committed to 2028, to ensure all homes meet EPC band C by 2035.”
