Bedford council tops county scoreboard for climate change action

The borough scored 41 per cent, marking an 11-point increase on its 2023 performance – the highest jump in the county.

The independent scorecards, described by Climate Emergency UK as a “holistic analysis” of all UK councils’ climate efforts, rank authorities based on their publicly reported actions and plans.

The 2024 edition draws on council websites, national datasets, and Freedom of Information responses gathered before November 2024.

By comparison, Central Bedfordshire increased its score by one point to 39 per cent, while Luton Borough Council improved by seven points to 35 per cent.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “Bedford Borough Council has been working hard over the last two years to deliver meaningful change both across the authority and the local community.

“Five solar arrays have been installed on council buildings and schools, funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), Sports England and the Council’s own capital budget, with one large array due to be completed by the end of the summer.

“With help from the PSDS the council has also converted two schools and one care home to using air source heat pumps (ASHP), where two of these were previously heating by oil.”

The spokesperson added that the borough council is one of “just 7 per cent” of unitary authorities to offset more than 20 per cent of energy usage with renewable energy generated from onsite sources.

And that it has held events for residents and businesses to offer advice and signposting to available funding.

“This further empowers our communities to make sustainable choices,” the spokesperson said.

“And Bedford Borough Council is also among the 9 per cent of unitary authorities that have mandatory training on climate awareness which applies to senior management and councillors alike, ensuring a corporate-wide understanding of the importance and impact of climate change.”

Johnny Cort, a Climate Emergency UK volunteer and Bedfordshire resident, welcomed the progress, but warned of wider challenges: “It is great to see Bedfordshire councils increase their Scorecard results since 2023.

“Yet the average overall score increase in Bedfordshire since 2023 was just six percentage points, which matches the average increase UK-wide.

“This shows that councils across the UK are struggling to step up their climate action at the emergency pace needed because there are nationwide barriers making it harder for councils to deliver effective, high point scoring.

“Work that would cut residents’ bills, make their homes warmer and raise funds for cash-strapped local governments.”

The Council Climate Action Scorecards aim to highlight both good practice and areas for improvement, with data assessed through a three-stage marking process using over 90 indicators.