Two weeks before it hosts COP26, Glasgow City Council last week approved a £10bn plan to retrofit 1 million homes in the city region to make them more energy efficient. Mark Williams explains how the...
The Treasury’s inaugural £10bn bond targeting investments in net zero projects, received more than £100bn of bids from the market, according to reports.
Local authorities will require a centralised strategy to ensure that net zero commitments are met, and councils are not forced to “go it alone”, according to a senior peer.
Central government has no understanding of the scale and funding challenges facing local authorities in implementing net zero objectives, senior councillors have told MPs.
The £1.5bn Green Homes Grant was approved by a senior civil servant, despite an internal committee rejecting its business case, according to the National Audit Office.
Leeds City Council spent more than £27m of central government funding for a low emissions zone to help tackle pollution before scrapping its main element last year, it has emerged.
Councils’ ability to contribute to the government’s climate ambitions is being hampered by “piecemeal” funding and a lack of clarity around their role, according to the National Audit Office.
UK government schemes to help with energy efficiency in homes need long-term commitment to allow the supply chain to respond, a procurement expert said.
Finance professionals have a key role in developing public sector sustainability reporting standards – but need to be develop new skills to do so effectively, according to CIPFA research.
Local authority net zero objectives are being hampered by a lack of funding, relevant skills and supportive government framework, delegates to the opening session of Public Finance Live 2021 heard...
Amendments to international reporting standards to include a wider range of impacts must go well beyond environmental sustainability, according to CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman.
Guidance on the environmental, social and governance of local authority counterparties will be included in the risk management section of the revised Treasury Management Code, in a switch of approach.
The government has committed to publishing its Green Financing Framework, which will set out new criteria for funding of its forthcoming green bonds, by the end of this month.
A group of experts has begun work to help create a set of standards for green investment in the UK, with sustainability becoming increasingly important for investors, including in the public sector.
Tackling climate change and achieving our ambitious target of net-zero emissions requires a step change across our society and economy, says Lord Agnew, government minister for efficiency and...
New procurement rules will require all bidders for central government contracts to have signed plans to reduce their net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
New procurement guidance that aims to push the wider benefits of public spending alongside value for money will only have “teeth” once legislation is adopted, according to experts.
Some funding streams available to help local authorities in England fund energy-efficient initiatives are actively working against reducing emissions, a local government network organisation said.