With five years remaining to meet the Welsh Government’s target of a net zero public sector by 2030, councils across Wales are calling for continued funding to cut emissions from buildings, vehicles and public services.

To date, 18 local authorities have received support from the Welsh Government’s Low Carbon Heat Capital Grant, helping to decarbonise 70 public buildings – including schools, care homes, offices, leisure centres and community facilities.

These projects have replaced fossil fuel heating with low carbon systems such as heat pumps, improving energy efficiency, cutting emissions and reducing running costs.

The WLGA’s Climate Change Support Programme, also funded by Welsh Government, is working with all 22 councils in Wales to support the transition through planning, collaboration and the sharing of best practice across the sector.

Heating buildings and running vehicles make up a big part of the emissions that councils directly control – but this usually adds up to only 2–9% of all the emissions in a council’s area. Decarbonising this estate will require substantial upfront investment, as councils continue to face intense financial pressures.

Councillor Lis Burnett, WLGA spokesperson for Climate Change, said:

“Councils have already shown what’s possible – 70 buildings have been decarbonised, and more are ready to follow. But to meet the net zero target by 2030, we’ll need sustained investment to scale up this work.

“With the right backing, we can go further and faster. Earth Day is a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how much more we can achieve together.”