Lewisham Central Hither Green

Fantastic news from the Council as we’ve managed to reduce our carbon footprint by 10%. This is as a direct result of deliberate policy decisions made by our Mayor Steve Bullock and Labour Councillors. This isn’t just good news for the environment, but reducing our energy usage is essential in making sure we’re using your money effectively. Hopefully, even during the appalling budget cuts we’ll be able to make our environmental strategy pay by reducing our energy bills.

From the Council:

Figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that the borough of Lewisham has reduced its CO2 emissions by 10 per cent, making it one of the top 20 local authorities in the UK.

Data relating to all UK local authorities for the period 2005-08 was released in September 2010:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_change/gg_emissions/uk_emissions/2008_local/2008_local.aspx

The figures are based on domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural fuel and electricity consumption, emissions from transport (excluding aviation and shipping) and land use changes. The figures are calculated from actual consumption data at local authority level and statistics from the Department for Transport on road traffic.

The data covers carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 to 2008 and includes total emissions per area and a per capita figure used as the basis for national indicator 186 ‘per capital emissions in the local authority area’.

Key facts and figures from the DECC data include:

* An overall decrease in total carbon emissions for the UK of 4 per cent.
* A decrease in London’s per capita emissions, falling by an average of 3.2 per cent from 6.2 tonnes per person to 6.0 tonnes.
* Lewisham’s per capita carbon emissions decreased by 10.9 per cent from 2005 to 2008. This makes Lewisham one of the 20 local authorities, out of the 434 in the UK dataset, with a decrease of 10 per cent or more.
* The 10.9 per cent reduction in Lewisham’s per capita carbon emissions exceeds the target of 8.5 per cent agreed with central government in Lewisham’s Local Area Agreement.
* Overall emissions in the borough fell by 7.2 per cent in the period. At 4.1 tonnes per person Lewisham has the lowest per capita carbon emissions in inner London, the second lowest in London as a whole and fourth lowest in the UK.

The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, said: “Improving the energy efficiency of homes in Lewisham is an important focus for the Council. This is partly because housing is the biggest source of carbon emissions locally, but it is also because we know the rising cost of energy is a big concern for residents. I am keen that we continue to increase the number of people across the borough benefitting from insulation and other energy efficiency improvements.”

For more information about energy efficiency and the funding that can be available for insulation and other works, residents can contact an energy adviser at Lewisham Council by calling 020 8314 6339 or emailing energy@lewisham.gov.uk