Council cuts carbon footprint by almost half since climate emergency declaration
Posted on: 20 October 2026
Tewkesbury Borough Council has published its latest greenhouse gas emissions report, revealing that emissions have fallen by 49% since 2019. The milestone marks significant progress towards the council’s ambition of becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and comes as communities continue to experience the impacts of more extreme weather linked to climate change.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is now being used in the majority of the council’s waste collection vehicles, helping to significantly reduce emissions from the fleet. This builds on continued energy efficiency improvements across council buildings and investment in renewable energy generation.
Over the last 12 months, the council has also produced a Climate Change Framework to help guide climate action across all council services, and achieved Silver Carbon Literate Organisation status, recognising its commitment to embedding climate awareness throughout the organisation.
The report also highlights the importance of protecting and enhancing nature as part of tackling climate change. Activity during the year included ensuring newly planted trees were supported through periods of hot weather and using the Local Nature Strategy to help guide future planting and habitat creation projects.
The council’s Carbon Reduction Programme sets out a number of priorities for the coming year, including:
• Supporting the decarbonisation of community buildings
• Improving the electric vehicle charging offer to users
• Continuing to work to reduce emissions across the council estate
• Supporting Eelscapes to help restore nature-rich wetlands along the river Severn
Cllr Cate Cody, Lead Member for Climate and Ecology said: “A 49% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 is a significant achievement and reflects the commitment shown across the council to tackling climate change. While there is still much work to do, this report demonstrates that practical action is making a real difference. I’d like to thank everyone involved so far and I look forward to seeing further positive developments.”
Additionally, the council is working with home energy retrofit specialist Furbnow as part of a county-wide partnership to provide a “one-stop-shop” service for residents looking to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. This initiative has already advised residents about installing internal wall and floor insulation, ventilation, solar PV and battery storage to make their properties warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
A full copy of the Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report and Carbon Reduction Programme Report 2025 can be viewed on the council’s climate change webpages at the Climate change report hub.
