THE COUNCIL’S plan to be net carbon zero by 2030 may have to be revisited in light of the current financial pressures.
As we revealed two weeks ago, plans to build a new library in Twyford have been paused after the cost of building supplies rocketed.
Now, the council is looking at every line in its budget and a warning has been issued that some aspirations may have to change warned council leader John Halsall.
“We have a huge number of officers engaged on looking at the budget,” Cllr Halsall said. “There’s no doubt there’s some inflation and material increases, and some delays in obtaining materials which will affect us.
“It’s not a UK problem, it’s a worldwide problem.”
He added that for the council it could constrain the number of projects it can work on.
“We’re going to have to have a debate about carbon neutrality and delivery because it’s clear that carbon neutrality is going to create extra cost,” he said. “In cost terms there is a front end cost, which might mean we have to have a higher spec and do less, or a lower spec and do more.”
Cllr Halsall said that this wasn’t a U-turn, as the council’s policy was to do all it could to achieve net carbon zero by 2030, as opposed to hitting that go.
“Everything that we’re doing makes a contribution to achieving that goal,” he said. “But in all of these things there is a play off, which is if you aspire to heights of carbon zero, by definition you can do less wit the same money.”
He felt that the net carbon plan was vital for the borough, and everyone – council and residents – needed to play their part in that.
