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Corporate Environmental Report
Worcestershire County Council
Corporate
Environmental Report
2020
Find out more online:
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
1
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Headline messages from Corporate Environmental Report 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Green Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
WCC Net Zero Carbon Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Street Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Green Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Worcestershire County Carbon Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tackling Fuel Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Local Flood Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Natural Flood Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Household Waste and Recycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Schools - Bikeability, Road Safety Education, Training and School Crossing Patrols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Local Nature Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Natural Networks Programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Green Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Pollinators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Worcestershire Habitat Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Countryside Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Public-Sector Energy Efficiency Programme (PEEP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Green Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Worcestershire Energy Strategy 2019-2030 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Low Carbon Opportunities Programme (LOCOP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2
Foreword
I am delighted to present Worcestershire County Council’s latest annual Corporate Environmental Report which
gives an overview of the Council’s performance across several environmental themes. This report provides an
update on a number of areas under ‘The Environment’ priority of the Council’s Corporate Plan - ‘Shaping
Worcestershire’s Future 2017-2022’ - undertaken: in both financial year 2019/20 and calendar year 2020, and
progress that has been made under the Council’s Sustainability Policy.
The report is aligned with the United Nations international Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). The Goals set a blueprint to achieve a truly sustainable future for all
by 2030, and we recognise the part which we, Worcestershire County Council, will
play in this.
We have experienced unprecedented times over the last 18 months with the advancement of the Covid 19
pandemic presenting huge challenges. The public sector has been severely impacted by the pandemic, and service
delivery focus has had to shift accordingly to where activities were an absolute necessity. I am incredibly proud
that even through these immensely challenging times, the Council has made significant developments in our
efforts to protect and maintain the environment within our glorious county. The Council, alongside our partners,
have made notable progress as detailed within this Corporate Environmental Report. I wish to express my thanks
to all Council staff for their hard work and dedication which underpins delivery of all aspects of this report.
Many of the Council’s achievements are detailed on page 4 which include publishing the Council’s first Net Zero
Carbon Plan, and reducing the Council’s accounted carbon emissions by 40% since 2009/10.
In September 2019, the Council was honoured with the West Midlands Regional Local Authority of the Year
Energy Efficiency Award in recognition of the Council’s commitment to promoting energy efficiency within our
region, much of which is highlighted within this year’s Environmental Report.
The achievements detailed within this report are by no means exhaustive, but we acknowledge there are a
number of areas within which we can improve on further. We will continue to address these whilst striving to
protect our environment now, and for future generations.
Tony Miller
Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Environment
3
Headline messages from Corporate Environmental Report 2020
40% reduction in the Published the Invested
Council’s carbon Council’s first £4 million
emissions since 2009/10 ever Net Zero into LED
Carbon Plan street lighting
Retained
Green Flag One Waste Worcestershire Group is now
awards for our well established and working together to
Country Parks ensure consistent branding and messages are
used by County and District Councils when
Over 5,000 promoting waste and recycling in the County
Worcestershire school
children received The third Worcestershire Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
Bikebability cycle training was launched in October 2019 and is being
used across the county to help inform
The Warmer Worcestershire biodiversity and conservation priorities,
network has been helping shape planning decisions, ecological
successful in securing opportunities and project development
funding for first time
gas central heating in The County Council’s ambitious project
urban areas through to plant 150,000 trees in Worcestershire
the National Grid has begun at two key sites - New Farm at
Warm Homes Fund Norton near Evesham and Blackstone
near Bewdley
The County’s first
community fridge food The Public Sector Energy Efficiency
redistribution project was Programme (PEEP) was launched in
launched in November 2019 October 2020 to support public-sector
at Upton Baptist Church. organisations in Worcestershire to
improve their energy efficiency and invest
Supporting over 700 in renewable technologies
householders to apply for
Energy Company In 2020 the Business Energy Efficiency Programme
Obligation (ECO) funding (BEEP) provided a further 139 business with free
towards the cost of energy efficiency assessments taking the
energy efficiency measures since 2017 programme total (since October 2016)
to 579. To date the assessments have
Implemented Natural identified £3.4 million pounds of annual
Flood Management energy savings and around 12,000 tonnes of greenhouse
Projects in three core gas reductions per year. £321,000 of grant funding was
catchment areas in awarded to businesses for energy efficiency in 2020.
Worcestershire and
proven the benefits natural flood During 2020 the Low Carbon Opportunity
management can have on a catchment, Programme supported 38 businesses in installing
both to managing water, but also to renewable technologies or developing a low
habitats and wildlife carbon product or service (141 since October
2016). £220,000 of grant funding was awarded.
The Natural Networks
programme has supported Increased the amount of
92 applicants and awarded household waste that is
26 grant applications with a sent for recycling up to 43.6%
total value of £143,407.22
4
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations introduced the international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Adopted by
all member states, they set out 17 Global Goals to achieve by 2030 – a blueprint to achieve a better and more
sustainable future for all.
The Local Government Association (LGA) passed a motion at its annual conference in the summer of 2019 in
support of the Goals and promoted the role of local government in delivering them.
All the SDGs go hand-in-hand and strive to deliver global prosperity whilst also protecting the planet. For the first
time, the Council is aligning the action detailed within the Corporate Environmental Report with the UN SDGs to
highlight how we are contributing to these.
Under each heading within the report, the relevant SDG is highlighted so that clear links can be made between
the action which the Council is undertaking at the local level within Worcestershire, and how this also impacts on
a global scale.
5
Green Council
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Management
The Council reports on its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions every year and reporting is aligned with the
international Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidance on emissions reporting. Emissions are categorised into 3
different ‘scopes’ which include the following:
Scope 1 – Direct emissions from Council activities and operations under the Council’s control including:
• Natural gas use in WCC buildings (excluding schools)
• Fuel use in WCC vehicle fleet
• Residual fuel use (e.g. burning oil, LPG etc.) consumed at WCC sites (excluding schools)
Scope 2 - Indirect emissions - Electricity use in WCC buildings (excluding schools) and street lighting (grid
generation)
Scope 3 – Other indirect emissions including:
• Electricity use in WCC buildings (excluding schools) and street lighting (grid transmission and distribution)
• Staff mileage travelled by WCC staff for business purposes
• Air travel by WCC staff for business purposes
• Electricity and gas consumption in buildings operated by the Council’s main outsourced contractors for
Waste Management and Highways services
• Fleet and staff mileage undertaken by main outsourced contractors for Waste Management and Highways
services on behalf of WCC
• Petrol and diesel consumption by contracted fleet vehicles
• Emissions from county-wide municipal waste disposal
To date, WCC has reduced GHG emissions by 40% from 2009/10:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (tonnes/CO2e) from baseline
2009/10 2019/20 % reduction
Scope 1 4,598 2,467
Scope 2 16,672 6,458
Scope 3 55,266 36,910
Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions (tonnes/
76,536 45,835 40%
CO2e) - non-degree day corrected
6
WCC GHG Emissions Footprint 2019/20 – 45,835 tonnes CO2e
Streetlighting 11%
WCC Buildings Gas 3%
WCC Buildings Electricity 4%
WCC Residual Fuels 0.35%
WCC Staff Mileage 2%
WCC Air Travel 0.06%
WCC Fleet 2%
WCC Contracted Fleet 1%
Waste Disposal 69%
Ringway (elec/gas/fleet/staff miles) 3%
Severn Waste (elec/gas/fleet/staff miles) 5%
The Council has realised significant reductions in GHG emissions over recent years. Much of this has been
through improvements to our corporate building stock, street lighting assets, reductions in staff mileage
and a change in the way that waste is disposed of in the county (namely from landfill to energy from waste).
Decarbonisation of electricity provided by the UK National Grid has also significantly helped in our emissions
reduction, as more energy is generated from renewable energy sources.
The Covid 19 pandemic is likely to have had a significant impact upon the Council’s carbon emissions. This
will be represented in the Council’s 2020/21 greenhouse gas report which will be available on the Council’s
sustainability webpages mid to late summer 2021.
WCC Net Zero Carbon Plan
On 16th May 2019, the council reaffirmed its commitment to tackle climate change. It agreed to:
• Make Worcestershire County Council, in all areas where it is directly responsible, carbon neutral by 2050,
taking into account both production and consumption emissions
• Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2050 target possible, and
• Continue to work with partners across the county and region, such as district, town and parish councils, and
Worcestershire LEP, to deliver this goal.
As part of this commitment, In October 2020, the Council
published its first ever Net Zero Carbon Plan which sets
out how the Council will reach net zero1 carbon emissions
by 2050. The plan focuses on cutting the Council’s own
carbon emissions through its operations and activities
which account for at least 1.5% of Worcestershire’s total
county-wide emissions. The Council also has a significant
role to play in addressing countywide carbon emissions and
addressing the impact of climate change on the county.
1 Net zero carbon /carbon neutral - net amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere is reduced
to zero because it is balanced by actions to reduce or offset these emissions. Achieving an overall balance between emissions
produced and emissions taken out of the atmosphere.
7
The Council takes its responsibility to reduce its own emissions seriously and, since 2002, has delivered a series
of carbon management plans, of which the Net Zero Carbon Plan is the fourth. WCC is seeking to cut carbon
emissions from its property, transport and street lighting, as well as emissions from contracts, such as highways
maintenance and household waste management. A total emissions reduction of 40% since 2009/10 has been
achieved to date, with annual energy savings of c. £400,000.
Street Lighting
The County Council manages 56,800 street lights across Worcestershire which account for 11% of the Council’s
accounted carbon emissions. Street lighting emissions have reduced by 56% since 2009/10, despite an increase
in the number of street lights across the county. These reductions have been realised through:
• replacement of approximately 21% of luminaires with more energy efficient LEDs;
• the instigation of part-night switch-off of street lights on some roads;
• delumination of some traffic signs;
• reduction in the carbon intensity of UK grid electricity.
In particular, since 2019, the Council has invested £4 million into installing 16,500 LED street lights, and replacing
16,500 older obsolete street lights with LEDs. This has saved approximately 2 million kWhs. Replacing street
lights with long-life LEDs reduces energy consumption by 59% and significantly reduces maintenance costs.
To achieve net zero emissions from street lighting, the Council will continue to purchase 100% renewable
electricity for all WCC streetlights; replace a further 20% of street lights with LEDs by 2022/23; and continue
to review other opportunities to invest in more energy efficient street lighting technology e.g. smart lighting
controls and management systems.
8
Green Community
Worcestershire County Carbon Emissions
From 2002, Worcestershire County Council led the development of the Worcestershire Local Strategic
Partnership’s (LSP) Climate Change Strategy for the County. The strategy was produced in response to the
Government’s call for organisations and authorities across the country to take action to ensure the UK was
prepared to deal with the impact of climate change and to urgently take action to slow its progress. The LSP set a
target of 30% reduction in carbon emissions per capita by 2020 (from 2005 levels) and brought together public,
private and community sector partners to develop a robust and achievable Action Plan.
The County’s carbon emissions per person have decreased by 38% since the 2005 baseline year (2019 data) –
exceeding the 2020 target, with average emissions per capita slightly above the UK average.
Worcestershire CO2 emissions per head 2005-2019
8
7
6
tonnes CO2 per capita
5
4
3
2
1
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Worcestershire UK
CO2 emissions are produced for each Local Authority area in the UK from the following broad source categories:
• Industry, commercial & public sector (including electricity-related emissions)
• Domestic (including electricity-related emissions)
• Transport (excluding motorways & railways)
9
The graph above shows CO2 emissions per head of population in Worcestershire from 2005-2019. This
highlights that the County’s emissions per person have reduced slightly more slowly than the UK average.
The full national dataset is available from UK Government:
Emissions of carbon dioxide for Local Authority areas - data.gov.uk
The County Council is now working as part of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver the
Worcestershire Energy Strategy, which has a current target of 50% reduction in countywide CO2 emissions by
2030 (from 2005 levels).
Between 2005 and 2019 there was a 34% reduction in Worcestershire’s CO2 emissions.
Please note, there is an 18-month delay in the collation and publishing of local authority carbon dioxide emission
data by Government. 2020 data is due to be published June 2022.
10Tackling Fuel Poverty
Worcestershire County Council coordinates the Warmer Worcestershire Network, which is a partnership
between public and voluntary sector organisations in the county who are all working towards the same goal to
reduce fuel poverty and help households heat their home effectively and efficiently to keep warm and well.
In Worcestershire 9.9% (2018 Low Income High Cost data) of households are considered to be fuel poor and
therefore struggle to heat their home to an adequate temperature. This equates to 25,145households. In some
areas of the county there are pockets of much higher fuel poverty with the highest proportion of households
considered to be fuel poor in a single LSOA being 18%%. The fuel poverty figures indicate that there has been a
reduction in fuel poverty.
In the last year, the Warmer Worcestershire Network has coordinated several projects to support
Worcestershire residents heat their homes more affordably:
• The Warmer Worcestershire network has been successful in securing funding for first time gas central
heating in urban areas through the National Grid Warm Homes Fund. So far, the project has resulted in 52
installations across Worcestershire
• Energy Company Obligation (ECO) - Since new legislation came in in Autumn 2017, we have supported over
700 householders to apply for funding towards the cost of energy efficiency measures. These applications
were completed under the ECO Flexible Eligibility which allows a Local Authority area to define what fuel
poverty means in their local area.
11Local Flood Risk
The Flood and Water Management Act (2010) requires all Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFA) to produce a
Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) which sets out how the County Council as the LLFA will assess
and address flood risk in the county, including assessment of areas of flood risk and their severity, application of
national policy, development of local policy and priorities for action. The LFRMS was adopted in March 2016 and
will be reviewed and refreshed during 2021-22.
Natural Flood Management
The Worcestershire Natural Flood Management (NFM) pilot project, funded by Defra and the Environment
Agency, is hosted by Worcestershire County Council and covers three core catchment areas in Worcestershire:
Dowles Brook, Barbourne Brook, Cotswold Tributaries (River Isbourne, Merry and Badsey Brooks). This three-
year project has proven the benefits natural flood management can have on a catchment, both to managing
water, but also to habitats and wildlife. The trial will now be expanded by opening NFM opportunities to the
wider Worcestershire area, working closely with partners, communities, and landowners in order to better
manage water within the county.
12Examples of the differing types of NFM measure that have been installed include:
• Leaky Woody Dams. These use riparian
timbers to create a lattice effect dam
structure. Each dam is placed
approximately 6 inches above the base
flow of the watercourse, meaning they
only work to hold back the water and
slow the flow during times when the
water level is high. Several dams are
installed in a sequence along sections of
watercourse – collectively making a
difference to the amount of water and
travelling downstream.
• Wetlands and ponds. These have been
implemented upon the upper slopes of
the Isbourne catchment in the
Cotswolds. Steep sided hillsides with
active spring lines make the land
extremely difficult to manage and during
heavy rain events, run-off is a huge
problem. Wetlands have been created
along the spring lines, creating habitats
with additional capacity for water
storage when needed.
• Tree Planting. Again, if this is undertaken
in the upper reaches of a catchment it
will help to intercept run off, slowing
the flow of water travelling down a hill
side and allowing water to be taken out
of the system via infiltration. 500 trees
have been planted on the upper Isbourne
catchment.
• Sward lifting / aeration of the soil. This
is highly effective where the ground has
been compacted by grazing animals.
Sward lifting / aeration of the soil enables
the top layer of the earth to be lifted to
increase the amount of infiltration. Not
only does this help to break up run off
pathways but is also highly beneficial to
the quality of the grass.
Flood Management aims to slow the flow of water in upstream areas. A few interventions on their own will not
be enough to make a difference to downstream flooding. Maximum benefits will come from hundreds of different
types of interventions across the catchment. Land management also plays a large part and making changes in the
way farmers use the land, planting hedges to break up flow paths, the use of cover crops in winter, can all help.
13Household Waste and Recycling
Communications: Communications continue to play a massive part in the education of households around waste
and recycling. As part of this in August 2019 an external agency was commissioned to lead a series of focus
groups around food waste and what the barriers to reducing it were. This produced interesting results and has
completely changed the way that WCC engages with residents, not just on food waste.
There was a lot of activity on the Lets Waste Less Worcestershire Facebook, the Worcestershire County Council
Facebook page and the WCC Sustainability Team Twitter account.
Home Composting: The sale of subsidised compost bins continues with a total of 836 compost bins sold. Sales of
HotBins and other food waste digesters seem to be declining rapidly with only 2 sold in the whole county during
2019/20. However, sales of water butts are rising significantly.
One Waste Worcestershire: The One Waste Worcestershire Group includes both County Council and District
Council colleagues who work together to produce consistent waste-related messages across the County.
The group is now well established and working together closely to ensure consistent branding is used when
promoting waste and recycling. Shared social media messages are a regular occurrence at times when it is
important to communicate with residents, such as Easter, Recycle Week and Christmas.
There were a number of major campaigns run across the county and organised by the group including;
Councillor waste diaries – July 2019: councillors from Worcester City undertook a challenge to record the
amount of waste they disposed of during the month with the aim of cutting it. All the councillors wrote blogs on a
weekly basis and with the help of compost bins and tools for cutting food waste, they managed to cut their waste
and raise awareness in the city.
#recycleforacorns: this campaign in August 2019
encouraged residents to recycle as many plastic bottles
and cans as they could and in return our contractor,
Severn Waste Services, would donate money to the
Acorns Children’s Hospice in Worcester. This resulted
in a £2000 donation to the hospice.
Zero Waste Month: This was the first Zero Waste Month and ran from 23rd Sept to 23rd Oct 2019 to include
Recycle Week. Each week there was a different topic and included a flash sale for compost bins and sewing
workshops.
Contamination: The campaign in January 2020 aimed
to make people aware of the six main contaminants in
the recycling; food, electrical items, textiles, nappies,
garden waste and plastic bags. A number of images were
created and shared across social media.
The Let’s Waste Less website continues to be updated
and is now the main source of information for the county.
Let’s Waste Less volunteer scheme: The Let’s Waste
Less (LWL) volunteer programme continued to provide
support at events and was starting to engage more with
schools when the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020.
14Love Food Hate Waste: This is still the major focus and we continue to utilise WRAP imagery whilst we develop
our own campaign materials.
Reusable nappies: Worcestershire and Herefordshire Nappy Advisory Service has changed to Worcestershire
Nappy Library. In 2019/20 50 people received the £30 cashback on offer to parents.
Recycling: WCC continues to work closely with Borough, City and District Councils to ensure that messages
around recycling are consistent. Brand guidelines were written and agreed by the One Waste Worcestershire
group along with a communications plan for the year. As part of Recycle Week the new “normative” messaging
launched by WRAP was used.
The percentage of household waste that is sent for recycling in Worcestershire is improving:
Year Household Waste Recycling Rate
2014/15 40.8%
2015/16 41.4%
2016/17 42.7%
2017/18 42.9%
2018/19 43.3%
2019/20 43.6%
(Source: WasteDataFlow)
Reuse: Reuse continues to be promoted via advertising and social media. Information about reuse organisations
and what items they take was produced for the Let’s Waste Less website.
Worcestershire County Council, Herefordshire Council and Severn Waste Services continue to work in
partnership with local charities to ensure that suitable items for reuse are segregated at the Household Recycling
Centres. There are now containers at 8 sites across Worcestershire that collect items on behalf of a number of
local charities, who then sell them on to raise funds.
Community fridge: The County’s first community fridge was launched in
November 2019 at Upton Baptist Church. A community fridge is a food
redistribution project that is open to everyone and is not to be confused
with a food bank. The food is predominantly donated by supermarkets
and the Co-Op in Upton were a major supporter of this project. The
Community Fridge Network is run by environmental charity Hubbub.
The plan had been to launch more fridges during 2020, but this was
curtailed by Covid.
15Schools - Bikeability, Road Safety Education, Training and School Crossing Patrols
Cycle training (known as Bikeability) is delivered by the County Council’s team of National Standards trained
Cycle Instructors working within the Road Safety Team. Over 5,000 pupils benefited from Bikeability Training
throughout the County during April 2019-March 2020. The majority of training is delivered at Bikeability Level 2;
an introduction to safer riding on the road, but the team also delivers a wide range of training from Balance and
Learn to Ride training for the youngest pupils to Bikeability Level 3 – advanced level road training to pupils in
High Schools. The Road Safety Team also delivers a
programme of road safety education including pedestrian
training, in Worcestershire Schools. 8,000 pupils received
road safety education in April 2019-March 2020, of which
3,000 received practical pedestrian training. Figures were
slightly down due to some cancellations as a result of
Covid-19, road safety education was offered online to
schools as an alternative but uptake for this was not able to
be monitored. All of these schemes have been a great
success and assist with the promotion of sustainable
transport and increased road safety awareness amongst the
Worcestershire population. The team also manages the
School Crossing Patrol Service helping pupils cross the road
to schools at sites that meet criteria countywide.
Local Nature Partnership
Worcestershire County Council (including Strategic Planning and Environmental Policy, Flood Risk Management,
Sustainability and Historic Environment) is a leading member of the Worcestershire Local Nature Partnership
(LNP). It continues to provide the secretariat and support to ensure that the partnership thrives. Areas of focus
align closely with those of the County Council, including green infrastructure, climate change, water resource
management and flooding.
Worcestershire Local Nature Partnership (LNP) amended its constitution to reflect the Natural Environment
White Paper’s aspiration for LNPs to provide environmental leadership. To assist in achieving this, the LNP
widened its membership to reflect this role, and now includes landowner representation from both the NFU
and CLA in addition to developing links with other policy areas such as public health and well-being. The LNP
has worked closely with the Worcestershire LEP, with the LEP being represented on the LNP and the LNP being
represented on the decision-making body for the local allocation of EU funding.
16During 2020, the Local Nature Partnership has had a focus on the natural environment, and the availability of
data and accessible information to support the expected requirements for the forthcoming Environment Bill.
The flooding events of 2019/20 have been a focus for the Partnership which has actively engaged with the River
Severn Partnership to consider a more interconnected and holistic approach to economic growth and flood risk
management in Worcestershire and will continue to work with the partnership during the forthcoming year.
Natural Networks Programme
The Natural Networks2 Programme
is a Worcestershire-wide scheme
offering grants and advice to
projects which aim to create or
restore wildlife-rich habitats.
Various types of organisations and
businesses can apply for grants (up
to 45% of the total project cost) to
help undertake the works required
to enhance the quality of County’s
blue and green infrastructure.
The programme has been provided
with £1,043,460.00 in capital
funding (funded by the European
Regional Development Fund), which
is to be dispersed to various projects
throughout the duration of the
programme.
So far, 92 Worcestershire applicants
have received expert advice from the
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and a
total of 26 grant applications with the
total value of £143,407.22 have been
approved.
2 The Natural Networks programme is receiving up to £1,323,339.00 (revenue and capital) funding from the England European
Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The
Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the
Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund.
Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic
development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding
17The Natural Networks Programme has already
supported the enhancement of over 30 hectares
of land. With increased interest from various
organisations, the programme pipeline has
been growing with more variety of biodiverse
projects.
The Programme also offers a series of events
throughout the year, working with partners to provide
further insight and expert advice to interested parties.
The Council was successful in gaining grant funding to
support the establishment of new areas of wonderful
wildflowers at County Hall. The project also included
the installation of interpretation boards for the
project, and the installation of a bee brick and bee
posts to support pollinators on County Hall campus.
In 2015 the Council made a commitment to be a
‘pollinator friendly’ organisation. Pollinators include
various species of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles
and hoverflies. They are vital to our food supply and
are particularly important in a county such as
Worcestershire with a large agricultural and
horticultural industry.
18Neighbourhood Plans
Many of the communities in Worcestershire, particularly in the rural areas, are interested in developing
Neighbourhood Plans to guide development in their parish. During 2015/16, WCC put together a trial approach
to working with communities to develop plans, utilising the information which we have on the natural and historic
environment. This trial was sponsored by DCLG as part of their national pilot. We have continued to develop our
approach and are now working with communities to assist them in developing their plans, providing data and
assisting with the understanding and interpreting of the data sets, and how this can be shaped into policy for a
plan.
Green Infrastructure
The Council continue to work on Green
Infrastructure (GI) in the county, and have
worked in partnership on a number of
development sites, including strategic
housing sites and the “game changer”
employment sites, to promote green
infrastructure as an integral part of the
proposals. Lea Castle and Kidderminster East
strategic development corridors are the
primary focus of GI Concept Planning work.
19Work continues to support the Wyre Forest District Council (WFDC) Local Development Plan through
Examination in Public and the Council are also supporting development of the South Worcestershire
Development Plan (SWDP) Review both through the refinement of GI policies and also through GI task and
finish groups promoting a GI-led masterplanning exercise for the emerging Rushwick and Norton strategic
development allocations.
Work has commenced on a review of the Worcestershire Green Infrastructure Strategy and its evidence bases
to reflect changes in national planning policy and advice, best practice and updates to the supporting data. GI
Framework 3 (Access and Recreation) has recently been updated and published. The GI strategy itself will be
updated to align with the proposed Environment Bill and will embed its key concepts such as Nature Recovery
Networks and Biodiversity Net Gain.
Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Review
The Worcestershire BAP v3 was launched in October 2019
and the plan is being used across the county to help inform
biodiversity and conservation priorities, helping shape
planning decisions, ecological opportunities and project
development. During 2020, and during the lifespan of BAP v3,
case-studies are being gathered from across Worcestershire
which highlight good practice in delivery of the BAP’s
objectives and targets. These are presented on an interactive
mapping tool.
Pollinators
In July 2020 we published the Worcestershire Pollinator’s Strategy which sets out our priorities and
objectives for pollinator conservation aligned with our commitment to be a pollinator friendly county. Building
on partnerships developed during previous pollinator conferences and workshops the Strategy sets out
opportunities for businesses, communities and residents to help promote pollinators. We have worked with the
national charity Buglife to map a number of B-Lines which are intended to provide linear corridors as priority
areas for promoting opportunities for pollinators, joining up regionally and nationally to a wider network
of B-Line corridors. These are described further in the Pollinators Strategy and are also mapped within our
Biodiversity Action Plan.
20Worcestershire Habitat Inventory
The Worcestershire Habitat Inventory is a mapping tool
that displays land use and habitat data for the county of
Worcestershire at a field-by-field scale. First developed in
2005 – 2007 the WHI is intended to provide a baseline of
information about the natural environment of the county. The
dataset has been used historically as a strategic environmental
assessment and project development tool to inform planning
and land-use decisions. It’s been used both internally and
also by our partners, for example in assessing potential
development allocations, preparing evidence bases to support
neighborhood plans, and in undertaking statutory assessments
of plans and projects. We are currently updating the Habitat
Inventory to take advantage of new remote surveillance
technology and datasets including refreshed aerial and satellite imagery, and machine-led habitat identification.
Once completed the refreshed Habitat Inventory will be suitable to support functions such as Biodiversity Net
Gain duties set out in the forthcoming Environment Bill.
Countryside Services
Worcestershire prides itself on the availability of
natural green spaces for all in the County. The Council’s
Countryside Service manages 1 Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI), 7 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) and 17
countryside sites for biodiversity, landscape character,
historic environment and informal recreation. Access to
these sites have become increasingly important for
people during the Covid pandemic as people’s quality of
life, physical and mental wellbeing has been significantly
affected.
The Countryside Service has retained three Green Flag
Awards at Worcester Woods Country Park, Waseley
Hills Country Park and St. Wulstan’s Nature Reserve.
21Worcester Woods Country Park, England’s first Accredited Country Park, is a 38-hectare Country Park with a
large area of ancient coppice woodland with traditional meadows grazed by rare breed cattle. It has a very
popular visitor centre incorporating the award-winning Orchard Café which specialises in local, organic, fair
trade and free-range produce.
Waseley Hills Country Park provides unique views
over Worcestershire, Birmingham and the Black
Country, covering 150 acres of pasture with some
woodland and historic hedgerow boundaries. The
Park provides an excellent habitat for invertebrates
and birds, and Skylarks breed on the hilltops every
year. The Park provides an opportunity for people
to access and learn more about the countryside and
has a superb visitor centre and café, which offers
local, free-range and Fair-Trade products, housed
within a restored 400-year-old threshing barn.
St. Wulstan’s Nature Reserve is the site of a former
World War II hospital hidden away on the edge of
Malvern, now home to a diverse range of wildlife including birds, insects, slowworms and grass snakes, which
reside across the tranquil 22-hectare site. The Reserve has large areas of wildflower meadow and young native
woodland, with areas of mature woodland and scrub, for the public to enjoy.
Worcestershire’s Countryside Service works with over 450 volunteers who help to improve Worcestershire’s
environment on countryside sites, Public Rights of Way and in local communities.
We also work with Warwickshire and West Mercia Community Rehabilitation Company to provide
improvements to the rights of way network, natural green spaces and the Highway network in Worcestershire
via 11,648 hours unpaid community payback work.
The County Council’s ambitious project to
plant 150,000 trees in Worcestershire has
begun. Two key sites; New Farm at Norton
near Evesham and Blackstone near Bewdley
have been selected as new countryside sites
that will be managed by the Countryside
Service in the future. Work has started in
autumn 2020, with 3,000 trees and shrubs
being planted at the Blackstone site. Planting
at the Norton site will commence in February
2021. These sites will be managed for a range
of habitats including woodland, pollinators,
wetlands and orchards.
22Public-Sector Energy Efficiency Programme (PEEP)
PEEP was launched in October 2020 to support public-sector organisations in Worcestershire to improve their
energy efficiency and invest in renewable technologies. PEEP offers a free energy assessment service for public
buildings and capital grant funding for low-carbon project work. The scheme is available to organisations who
receive over 50% of their main funding from central or local government. Typically, this includes- local authorities,
emergency services, state funded educational institutions, the NHS, government agencies and bodies, etc.
PEEP aims to:
• Meet the need to improve energy efficiency in public sector buildings;
• Provide local, high profile, low-carbon exemplar projects;
• Increase local generation of renewable energy;
• Strengthen the local market for innovative low-carbon measures.
Public-sector organisations can apply to receive a free energy assessment, conducted by procured energy
specialists - Briar Associates. The assessment includes; half-day site visit, written recommendation report, and
follow-up support. Recommendations will include no cost, low cost and higher cost energy saving measures and
renewable technologies. Additional support is available to present the report’s findings to decision makers and
budget-holders, write tender specifications, and apply for funding. To date, 10 reports have been issued, with a
further 60 energy assessments available.
PEEP has a total £1million grant funding to support low-carbon capital project work. Organisations can apply for
grant funding between £2k-£200k, representing a maximum 40% of the total NET capital project costs. Eligible
project work should seek to reduce the annual energy usage (kWh) and GHG (CO2e tonnes) of existing public
property. PEEP is focused on innovative solutions, including renewable energy technologies, smart LED lighting
systems, BEMS, low-carbon heating, etc. Standard retrofit activity including insulation, glazing, gas boilers etc.
are not eligible for PEEP funding.
To date, PEEP has awarded over £70k in grant funding, supporting over £180k of investment in low-carbon
project work. The approved projects will save over 170 kWh and 47.7 tonnes of carbon. There is a further £930k
PEEP grant funding available for eligible project work.
Organisations who wish to find out more about PEEP support, or apply, should contact the PEEP team at
Worcestershire County Council.
PEEP Manager | Hannah Ross | hross@worcestershire.gov.uk | 01905846843
PEEP Support Officer | Ibby Hussain | ihussain@worcestershire.gov.uk | 01905845428
23Green Economy
Worcestershire Energy Strategy 2019-2030
The County Council is working in partnership as part of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to deliver the
County’s Energy Strategy, which was launched in 2019. The strategy sets the vision for the future of energy in
Worcestershire:
By 2030, Worcestershire will have a thriving low carbon economy which supports the creation of high value jobs and
stimulates investment and clean growth across the county. We will have high quality energy efficient housing stock and a
robust, diverse energy infrastructure, underpinned by low carbon generation which utilises Worcestershire’s unique local
resources.
There are three key measures that are aimed to be delivered as part of the strategy
• reduction in carbon emissions of 50% on 2005 levels by 2030
• double the size of the low carbon sector by 2030
• tripling energy production from renewable generation by 2030
The County Council supports the Energy Strategy’s steering group, monitors progress and has developed, and
is managing, a range of projects supporting the strategy. A selection of these activities are grouped under the
Energy Strategy’s four priorities below.
• Access to Affordable Clean Energy
o Coordination of the Warmer Worcestershire home energy efficiency network and the county’s fuel
poverty plan. (C.10% of Worcestershire households are in fuel poverty. More than 1000 households
assisted 2019/20.)
o Project management of home energy efficiency schemes currently focused on tackling fuel poverty.
To date this work has been predominately funded by domestic energy suppliers through ECO (Energy
Company Obligation)
24• Clean Economic Growth
o Design and management of EU funded business support programmes providing free advice and grants to:
ρ improve energy & water efficiency, reduce waste
ρ generate renewable energy
ρ innovate, develop and commercialise new low and zero carbon products
ρ improve biodiversity
(More than 400 local businesses assisted to date)
o Research into Worcestershire’s Green Economic sector
• Overcoming Infrastructure and Development Barriers
o Commissioning of research into heat network development e.g. South Worcestershire’s deep geothermal
heat resource and Countywide heat network master planning.
o Provision of climate change related advice and
response to neighbourhood plans, major planning
applications and local development plan reviews.
o Engagement with the distribution network
operator on increasing the capacity and flexibility of
Worcestershire’s power grid.
o Investment in digital infrastructure, which has
enabled changes in patterns of working and travel. An
accelerated impact of this was observed during Covid
19 lockdown.
• Promoting Low Carbon Transport and Active Travel
o Installation of electric vehicle charge points in car parks across the county. These have predominantly
been funded by central government. (39 charge points installed by WCC to date.)
o Pursuing the development of active travel corridors for walking and cycling, linking major centres of
population.
o Developing Worcestershire’s rail network, including the creation of a new station at Worcester Parkway
and upgrading Bromsgrove and Kidderminster stations.
The Council also coordinates shared working sessions with district councils and other public sector partners
on various aspects of the challenges posed by climate change, such as carbon sequestration, climate change
adaptation and community engagement, and is operating an EU funded advice and grant funding programme
supporting energy efficiency and renewable energy measures across Worcestershire’s public sector.
25Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP)
Worcestershire County Council’s highly successful Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) continues
to provide free energy efficiency assessments and grant support to small and medium size enterprises in
Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. BEEP helps these businesses to become more
energy efficient and improve profitability, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The free energy and resource efficiency assessments (2 days of support) provide technical assistance to measure
current energy usage and provide recommendations for improvements, which could be funded through a grant of
up to £20,000. They also now look at waste and water management opportunities too.
The most popular grant support measures provided include LED lighting with sensors, more efficient heating
systems, air compressors, fast shutting warehouse doors and insulation. The project has also supported small
renewable projects including battery storage for solar.
The Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) (second phase of funding) - during 2020, provided a further
139 business with free energy efficiency assessments taking the programme total (since October 2016) to 579.
To date the assessments have identified £3.4 million pounds of annual energy savings and around 12,000 tonnes
of greenhouse gas reductions per year. £321,000 of grant funding was awarded to businesses in 2020 for energy
efficiency.
This year BEEP funded its first electric fork-lift truck at Clarke Oil Ltd in Redditch, who supply lubricants to other
businesses. They received a grant of £5,700 which will replace the current diesel model, realising annual fuel
savings of £2,000 and 12 tonnes of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less air pollution.
BEEP also runs a quarterly sustainability forum through Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of
Commerce, providing wider and ongoing support to businesses.
Worcestershire County Council in partnership with Herefordshire & Worcestershire
Chamber of Commerce, Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, Herefordshire Council,
Telford & Wrekin Council, Shropshire Council and Worcestershire Councils are
receiving up to £2,161,050 of funding from the England European Regional
Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth
Programme 2014-2020 for an Extension to the Business Energy Efficiency Programme.
For more information visit: www.business-central.co.uk/beep
26Low Carbon Opportunities Programme (LOCOP)
The Low Carbon Opportunities Programme, now in its second phase (2019-22), is a project that supports
Worcestershire SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) with free low carbon innovation and renewable
energy feasibility support, as well as grants towards installation of renewable energy technologies and
commercialisation of innovative low carbon products and services.
During phase 1 a total of 83 businesses utilised the assistance on offer through the programme. A total of
£820,000 was been issued to SMEs in the form of grants and approximately 1,100 tonnes of annual GHG
emissions have been saved.
In 2020 a further 38 businesses were receiving support to consider installing renewable technologies or
assistance to develop a low carbon product or service and £220,000 of grant funding was also awarded.
SMEs are able to apply for grant funding for up to 40% of the total cost of a project (to a maximum contribution of
£100,000 for renewables and £30,000 for innovation.
Most of the renewable energy grants provided have been for roof mounted solar PV systems to generate clean
electricity, reducing electricity bills, displacing more carbon intensive grid supplied electricity and retaining more
profitability within the county. Systems have ranged from 15 kWp to 85 kWp, one such example was an 85 kWp
array installed by Bennetts Foods (Worcester) Ltd that will save them approximately 27 tonnes of CO2 a year. PV
is ideally suited to their high daytime electrical demand from refrigeration equipment storing ice cream products.
Other low carbon energy generation technologies that have featured in LOCOP grant funded projects included
heat pumps and battery storage solutions.
The programme also supported businesses in the clean tech innovation sector and those who wanted to diversify
into this sector through the development of new low carbon technologies, which will help others to save energy
or reduce their waste.
Worcestershire is a hot bed of innovation and one example of technology grant funded by LOCOP includes
GeoZero in Bromsgrove, who are developing heat pump technology to store excess energy from data centres
in the form of thermal batteries. LOCOP support will help the product to become accredited and marketed in
commercial and residential sectors.
The Programme will also offer a series of events, working alongside local partners, to provide further support and
learning opportunities to businesses.
The Programme is receiving up to £1,624,328.00 from the European Regional Development Fund as part of
the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014–2020. It is a partnership between
Worcestershire County Council, Bromsgrove District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Worcester City
Council, Wychavon District Council, Wyre Forest District Council and Shropshire County Council.
For more information, visit www.business-central.co.uk/locop
2728
Corporate Environmental Report
Please contact us if you need this document in another format,
or if you have any questions.
Phone: 01905 846061
Email: sustainability@worcestershire.gov.uk
Write to: Sustainability Team
Worcestershire County Council
County Hall
Worcester
WR5 2NP
Find out more online:
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
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