Action to cut carbon sees successes for St Helens Borough
Efforts from installing solar panels on leisure centres to making energy efficiency savings on existing buildings and offering new recycling opportunities, have helped reduce St Helens Borough Council's carbon emissions.
Article date: September 25 2025
Councillors heard of the projects that have already been completed that contributed to a 8.56 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions since 2022 as part of an annual review of the Climate Change Action Plan.
Councillor Tracy Dickinson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Environmental Services, said: "In the last year we've taken many steps to lead by example with the carbon reducing projects we've brought in and we're particularly pleased that these have mostly been supported by external funding we've been successful in bidding for. Our ambitious plan to reach Net Zero by 2040 will take a great deal more work and we are committed to working with our partners to achieve this as it will make a difference for future generations.
"We have a plan to continue to drive this vital work in the next year including further decarbonisation of our public buildings, progressing the exciting St Helens Heat Network commercial business case and expanding climate training, school food waste recycling and biodiversity initiatives alongside a council-wide energy strategy. All of these measures will not only help reduce our carbon footprint but will also help deliver savings on things like our energy use in years to come."
In the last year, the council saw a 2.3% decrease in carbon emissions, compared to last year. The borough, as a whole, has successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 47% since 2008, equivalent to 938,000 tonnes.
The council have been successful in bidding for £13.5 million in external funding, which has been used to reduce carbon emissions across the borough.
"Striving to reach that 2040 target won't be easy for us all, but we are keen to keep leading an innovative path alongside our partners. This is a continuously growing sector that can unlock high-quality green jobs for our residents and we're already seeing the benefits of that with places like Glass Futures, a world-leading decarbonisation project establishing itself here in our borough. We will also continue to work with our partners across the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as we welcome an eco-friendlier public transport model."
You can read the report online here: Climate Change Action Plan Annual Report