Wednesday 26 February 2020

Reading announces £34m fund to hit net zero by 2030

Reading plans to improve its carbon footprint by spending £34 million to reduce emissions in the two years since it declared a Climate Emergency in early 2019.

The suggested green plan involves major spending on a new railway station, renewable energy sources, tree-planting programmes, electric vehicle (EV) charging points and a new food waste service.

It is also reported that Reading Borough has already reduced its emissions by 62.5% since 2008/2009, and by 18.5% in 2018/2019 alone, saving £10.9 million in energy costs over the last decade.

It said Reading met its 50% carbon reduction target by 2020, three years early.

Jason Brock, Council Leader, said: “Reading Council is leading by example and has already cut its carbon footprint by nearly two-thirds since 2008.

“Our proposed budget accelerates us towards a net-zero carbon Reading in less than 10 years. It’s an ambitious target, but one which we are determined to invest in to achieve.”