A PLAN to make Swindon Borough Council a zero-carbon organisation by 2030 has been approved.

And it includes an ambition to make the entire borough of Swindon carbon neutral by 2050.

But cabinet member for climate change Keith Williams agreed with Labour councillor Jane Milner Barry that the authority's own carbon emissions were such a small proportion of the borough’s total that its efforts were important largely as an example to others.

Coun Williams presented his plan to his colleagues in the council’s Conservative cabinet, possibly ironically, via a mobile video from his electric car. He was not driving.

The council currently causes 11,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide to be pumped into the atmosphere every year – the strategy commits the authority to cutting that by at least 80 per cent by 2030, while offsetting the remainder. This would make it net carbon neutral.

Electricity used in its offices and streetlights accounts for slightly over 50 per cent of that total.

The strategy says that will be reduced by the current scheme to replace all the streetlights and lights in car parks and traffic lights with LEDs, while the council’s fleet of vehicles will be swapped for electric models.

The council will also look at using alternatives to cars for short trips between council sites and will encourage more meetings online and using power from solar farms for its needs.

Much of the early work will be to figure out how specific activities cause emissions and how they might be reduced.

Now the draft strategy has been approved it will be sent out for an extended public consultation, before being revised and formally adopted.

Coun Williams said: “This will have an extended consultation from November through until January and we will take comments to embellish and refine it before adopting it in February.

“It is a living document, so will change as technology changes, it will not be set in stone.”

The Labour group’s spokesman on the environment Coun Milner-Barry said she was sorry the ambition included in a motion passed by council in February to make the entire borough carbon neutral by 2030 had been dropped and asked it be reinstated.

Coun Williams said: “I’m happy to take that on board – but it’ll need work with officers to see how viable it is.”

Answering her question, Coun Williams told Coun Milner-Barry the council’s own emissions added up to "maybe one or two percent of the borough’s, it’s a negligible amount.”

He agreed when she said: “Given that, is the importance of the council getting to zero carbon to act as an example to others, to show what can be done?”

Council leader David Renard said the authority was working with partners, such as local bus companies, to make Swindon the first all-electric bus town.

The plan was agreed unanimously by cabinet. It will shortly be put out to public consultation.