Surrey County Council ranks top for sustainability efforts in Uswitch Green Council Report

Surrey County Council has ranked as a Gold Tier council in Uswitch’s first annual Green Council Report 2022 looking into council’s commitment to being more environmentally sustainable.

With the UK’s net zero emissions target date set for 2050, green energy comparison site Uswitch.com wanted to see if the UK’s county councils are doing their part to become better sustainable businesses.

Having scored positively in four requirements to be considered a leader in sustainability, Surrey County Council has proven to be doing better than 67% of UK County Councils.

The council is considered to be leading the way on this due to the following:

• Having renewable installations on site, including solar panels, solar thermal panels, an air source heat pump, a ground source heat pump, and a biomass system.
• Having a range of eco-friendly vehicles including electric, hybrid and electric light.
• Being on a renewable tariff with the energy supplier.
• Running eco-friendly initiatives, including the decarbonisation of its building, and offering staff green transport options such as cycle schemes, car clubs, and a transition to electric cars.

Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Environment Marisa Heath said: “I’m delighted to see our efforts to become more sustainable reflected in the Uswitch Green Council Report.

“Whilst we’re pleased to have made a good start, our ambitious plans don’t stop here and we know there is still much more to do. Nobody at the council underestimates the importance of climate change, but we believe the emergency is something we can tackle together.

“We’ve all got a part to play, but the council has a responsibility to lead by example and this report is testament to how seriously we take that responsibility.”

For the full report from Uswitch please visit: Green council report: Are county councils taking sustainable steps? (uswitch.com).

To find out more about what the council is doing to tackle climate change please visit Climate change – Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk).