In 2024/25, total quantified emissions, at 4330 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), were down by 52 tCO2e, or 1.2% from 2023/24.
The chart below shows the council’s total emissions for each of the last seven years.
Over the period from 2019/20 to 2024/25, the council’s emissions overall have reduced by 38.8%.
The pie chart below shows the council’s total quantified emissions for 2024/25 according to the contributions made by various activities. Note that the three largest contributors (leisure centres, fleet and relevant housing assets) are collectively responsible for approximately 77% of the emissions overall. For this reason, the council’s emissions reduction plans are focused on these key aspects.
What is ESC doing to reduce its own emissions?
Fleet
Whilst longer term solutions such as hydrogen as fuel remain under investigation, the council has commenced the implementation, as an interim alternative to diesel, the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil as fuel for the majority of its fleet which are compatible with this renewable fuel as a direct substitute for diesel.
The fleet commenced limited use of this fuel from June 2022 onwards. In 2024/25, the combined Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions arising from the fleet were down by 70.7% compared to 2019/20.
The council currently has ten battery electric (BEV) vehicles on its fleet, comprised of four electric vans and three electric cars on our car parks management fleet, and three electric pool cars.
In 2024/25, these ten vehicles travelled a total of 120,509 km (74,881 miles) on council business that would otherwise have been incurred using diesel or petrol powered vehicles, providing an estimated non-deductible avoidance of around 13.1 tCO2e.
Staff business mileage
Whilst recognising that some business travel is essential, for example to carry out site inspections and to engage with our communities, we also recognise that much business travel, for example to attend meetings internally and with other organisations, can be conducted effectively through the use of remote technology and this approach has been embedded in our new system of agile working.
In 2024/25, emissions arising from our business mileage were 237 tCO2e, which is the same as it was in 2019/20 but higher than it had been in each of the years in between when business travel had been suppressed.
Solar PV
Solar PV arrays are installed on one of the council’s depots, three of its leisure centres, and ten of its retirement and communal housing schemes, providing a total combined capacity of approximately 293 kW, providing renewable energy and helping to contribute to the electricity requirements of these sites.