Southampton City Council secures £1.68 million for public sector decarbonisation

Funding will help to further the council’s commitment to ensuring council owned and occupied buildings will be carbon neutral by 2030

Southampton City Council has successfully secured £1.68 million from the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which will help to further the council’s commitment to ensuring council owned and occupied buildings will be carbon neutral by 2030. The funding is available for capital energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector non-domestic buildings. The PSDS is administered by Salix Finance Ltd and was allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Decarbonisation is the term used for the process of removing or reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) output of a city or country’s economy including infrastructure, transport and utilities. The secured funds will be put towards over 20 energy efficiency and carbon saving projects, including investment in solar panels and lighting and heating efficiency measures, across 9 corporate sites. Some of the sites considered are The Sea City Museum, The Quays Swimming & Diving Complex and Lordshill Library. This ambitious scheme will further encourage green investment, supporting the net-zero and clean growth goals as set out in the council’s Green City Plan 2030.

Councillor Steve Leggett, Cabinet Member for Green City and Place, said: “At a time when so many are thinking about the environment, the economy and the future of our planet, securing this fund is a great step towards achieving our 2030 carbon neutral goal and creating a clean, greener, healthier and more sustainable city for current and future generations.

“Not only will this fund allow us to start the necessary decarbonisation work across a number of public buildings, such as The Sea City Museum and Lordshill Library, but it will also allow the council to further fund existing Green City projects, including city depot and the Marlands multi-storey car park.”

Works funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme aim to be completed by September 2021.

The Southampton City Council Green City Plan 2030 sets out an ambitious vision for a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable council and how it will contribute to tackling some of the most challenging environmental issues in our city.