Council buildings to benefit from £6.9 million decarbonisation scheme
St Helens Borough Council has approved a £6.938 million investment in five key council buildings to significantly reduce energy use and costs.
Article date: 19 December 2025
Members of Cabinet agreed earlier this week (Wednesday 17 December) to invest £1.123 million in local match funding to unlock more than £5.8 million in grant funding from the Government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to help reduce running costs and the council's carbon footprint.
Works to two of the buildings - St Helens Town Hall and The Gamble - will be managed directly by St Helens Borough Council, with the other three - Hardshaw Brook Depot, Queens Park Leisure Centre and St Helens South Community Hub at Chester Lane - will be delivered by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority who oversee the main fund.
The funds will support upgrades such as the introduction of air source heat pumps, improved insulation, secondary glazing and LED lighting. It is estimated these schemes will bring about energy saving costs of £127,655 every year - supporting the wider work of achieving a balance budget position in future years.
Upon completion these schemes will save an estimated 765 tonnes of carbon annually - significantly reducing the council's emissions by ten per cent.
This would be a big step forwards in the council's work towards net zero carbon emissions by 2040 - cutting emissions as close to zero as possible and achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and removed from the atmosphere.
Decarbonisation of public buildings also meets one of the six priorities set out by thousands of young people and summarised in a declaration made by the St Helens Youth Council, focusing on the needs of the next generations of St Helens Borough - looking after our environment and climate. (Source)
Chair of the Youth Council Josh Moulsdale, 13, Cowley International College, welcomed the funding, saying:
"The changes to the buildings that we are investing in are definitely good and beneficial to St Helens and the wider environment. Coming from someone who is passionate about the environment I can confirm it truly is a step in the right direction."
Other examples of the council's climate action include decarbonising the council fleet, moving to low energy lighting and heating, increasing recycling, and embedding climate change as one of the key drivers for growth and investment in the borough.
Councillor Andy Bowden, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health, and temporary portfolio holder for finance, said:
"This is a great example where we as a council are using council taxpayers money wisely to unlock much greater investments that will benefit many of our vital assets in the borough. These schemes will not only make our borough greener but will also in the long term help reduce the costs of running to make sure your Council Tax is being put to good use in modernising our buildings."
To find out more about the plans visit: St Helens Borough Council Cabinet Papers