City’s attempts to cut carbon to be reviewed by ‘green commission’

A REVIEW of Birmingham’s carbon reduction strategy is to be carried out by a new ‘green commission’ being established by the city council, which is concerned that current targets may be unachievable.

The decision to review the targets follows a report from the council’s internal audit team which has questioned whether the local authority will be able to achieve a flagship green policy goal of cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2026.

The 60 per cent target applies to both the city council and the city as a whole, based on 1990 figures.

If the targets are not met, the council will potentially incur “significant financial costs of several million pounds” per year in the medium to long term, the report says.

Councillor James McKay, cabinet member for green, safe and smart, said the review would be a top priority for the commission, whose members will consist of representatives from across the private, academic and third sectors.

He said: “Birmingham has made solid progress on the environmental agenda over the last few years but there is a huge question mark hanging over precisely how much of an impact has been made and if our targets are appropriate or achievable.

“The council’s new administration is determined to make Birmingham one of the world’s leading green cities.

“We are fully committed to the green agenda. To build the public support we will need to put this into practice – so it is vital we are open and honest about progress so far.

“The green commission will draw on people with a variety of knowledge and experience to spearhead this effort, and its first piece of work will be to conduct a stock-take of where we are, so we know what needs to be done, what is achievable and how we get there.”

The audit team report highlights that no formal arrangements have been established to monitor progress against the reduction targets set and suggests the council is unable to confirm its current position against the Government’s legally-binding target of a 26 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, or the authority’s own target of 60 per cent by 2026.

The membership of the green commission will be finalised in the coming weeks and its study into the city’s carbon reduction target will be reported as soon as the work is complete.