Carbon Neutral by 2030
We are committed to become carbon neutral in our estate and operations by 2030
How we will become carbon neutral by 2030
We will make our council buildings and day-to-day operations carbon neutral by 2030.
This means we are cutting emissions from our buildings, street lighting, fleet and business travel. Where emissions are very difficult to reduce by 2030, we will balance them through carbon offsets.
This work supports the national net-zero target for 2050. We also want to show residents and local businesses what can be achieved in Oxfordshire.
We declared a climate emergency in 2019. Since then, we have set out our approach and targets in our climate plans:
Our progress so far
From 2010 to 2011, our operational emissions fell by 71%.
Our emissions were highest from 2013 to 2014, at 27,644 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
By 2023 to 2024, they had fallen to 7,638 tonnes CO2e.
In 2023 to 2024, emissions from the council estate and our day-to-day activities fell by 14% compared with 2022 to 2023. That is a reduction of 1,229 tonnes CO2e.
Decarbonising our estate and operations
| Label | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Property | 32 | 35 |
| Street lighting | 38 | 32 |
| Staff mileage | 14 | 14 |
| Fleet travel | 17 | 19 |
Where our emissions come from
In 2023 to 2024, our main sources of emissions were:
- buildings: 35%
- street lighting: 32%
- fleet travel: 19%
- staff mileage: 14%
Buildings
About 35% of our operational emissions come from our 120 corporate buildings. We are developing a decarbonisation programme that supports our property strategy. Our aim is to keep all council buildings on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
We want to retrofit all council buildings by 2030. We have completed energy efficiency audits across the estate and costed the work needed by floor space, including all major buildings.
We have also secured funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to carry out retrofit work across our buildings.
Street lighting
About 32% of our emissions come from street lighting. We have invested £40m in replacing almost all street lights with energy-efficient LEDs. Most of our emissions reductions so far have come from this work.
We are also working with communities to dim some lights, or switch them off for short periods where this is appropriate. This saves energy, cuts costs and reduces light pollution.
Fleet and staff travel
A third of our emissions come from staff work travel. We are reducing these emissions by:
- reviewing how we use the fleet
- encouraging teams to share vehicles and resources
- replacing petrol and diesel vehicles with zero tailpipe emission alternatives where this is practical
We have 402 fleet vehicles. We are introducing a new 'One Fleet’ system and a dedicated team to manage fleet information in one place. This will help us reduce unnecessary vehicles and plan replacements.
We also have an electric-by-default policy. This means we will phase out petrol and diesel vehicles where operationally possible.
So far, we have bought and deployed 43 electric vehicles. They now make up more than 10% of our fleet. We plan to buy another 19 vehicles in 2025 to 2026. We have 44 charge points across 19 council sites.
Our fire and rescue service is also working with ULEMCo, with support from Innovate UK, to develop the UK’s first hydrogen-fuelled fire engine.
Maintained schools
Emissions from maintained schools have fallen by 34% since 2010 to 2011, after adjusting for schools that became academies.
We also introduced an interest-free loan scheme to help maintained schools decarbonise. The effect of this work will appear in future reports.
Supply chain emissions
We are expanding the way we report emissions from our supply chain. In August 2025, we approved an updated Ethical Procurement Policy. This helps us work with suppliers to measure emissions, report them clearly, and create carbon-reduction plans.
From 2022 to 2023, we carried out an early estimate of supply chain emissions using spending data from 2020 to 2021. This suggested emissions of about 150,000 tonnes CO2e.
We are now asking more suppliers to report their actual emissions directly. This will give us a more accurate picture.
From 2023 to 2024, four of our top 10 highest-emitting suppliers reported direct emissions data. Together, they accounted for 20,812 tonnes CO2e.
Staff training and decision-making
We are rolling out the award-winning carbon literacy training to our staff. Climate impact assessments are now conducted to ensure our decision-making aligns with our climate commitments. We are improving the way we monitor and measure our carbon emissions.
Accountability
We publish our greenhouse gas emissions every year. Over time, we will expand our reporting to include more supply chain emissions.
In line with the council's scrutiny processes, councillors recently reviewed the council's approach to emissions reduction. The learn more about the Climate Action Programme Six Month Update.