Climate and Sustainability
The Council’s Climate Strategy & Climate Action Plan.
The Council's Climate Change Strategy 2024-2028 (approved by Cabinet) aligns with the 2024-2028 Corporate Plan. The Council complement the Strategy annually with a Climate Action Plan (‘roadmap to 2030’) aiming to deliver corporate net zero at the soonest opportunity.
A foreword by Councillor Natasha Bradshaw
This document considers Mid Devon’s strategic position, sets out the Council’s approach to climate change and serves as a starting point for engagement with communities, businesses and other partners.
The strategy, aligned with our Corporate Plan, sets the Council’s priority ambitions and aims. We provide some key facts and figures for Mid Devon, such as its carbon footprint and the renewable energy installed in our district so far. We also explore the Council’s own carbon footprint and outline our climate action plan that aims to deliver operational net zero at the soonest opportunity.
To realise progress for the whole of Mid Devon, we must work in partnership, learn from those leading change, and support those who need help. Together we can co-create community climate action planning to cut greenhouse gas emissions for the district and adapt to build resilience in the face of the climate change already happening. Can you help create a vision for a sustainable future?
Councillor Natasha Bradshaw, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change.
Strategy Themes
- Vibrant landscapes at the heart of Devon
- Climate Resilient Communities
- Healthy Homes
- Green Growth and Bright Futures
- Sustainable Services and Spending
Snapshots from the Climate Change Strategy 2024-2028
Above: A strategic approach to cutting the Council's operational carbon footprint. The current Climate Action Plan is here. Each year, the Climate Action Plan will reflect current budgets and capacity. As with the Corporate Plan, each Policy Development Group and team must drive and monitor their remit, and operations, with regard to climate adaptation and mitigation.
Working in partnership with communities
The Climate Change Strategy provides a starting point for engagement between the Council, local communities, businesses and partners which seek to co-create community climate action planning for adaptive resilience and ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions for the district. Collaborative work will generate more detail and research such as joint and community action programmes, sometimes led by others. An engagement plan is being developed.
Our actions so far
The Council's Climate Action Plan and its Climate Change Strategy link into our Corporate Plan to highlight tangible, feasible, affordable projects. We seek benefits that will make a real impact - and some of this work has already come to fruition.
- Read more about how the Council is Boosting Nature in Green Spaces.
Community and Local Economy
- We have a new Climate Emergency planning policy statement and launched the Local Plan review with Climate Change as the top priority.
- Bin It 1-2-3 collections enable all Mid Devon's communities to cut greenhouse gas emissions by hitting even higher recycling rates. All waste collected by Mid Devon is either recycled or used as feedstock for a heat recovery process, with no waste collected by Mid Devon sent to landfill.
- We work with ECOE Advice to help energy-saving advice services benefit every Mid Devon household.
- During 2024 the Instavolt rapid car chargers at 3 Council sports centres saved over 70 tonnes of CO2 by charging cars with green power! More about EV chargers.
- We welcomed the first new Deletti partnership Electric Vehicle chargepoints at William Street in Tiverton and Forge Way in Cullompton. This will be joined by 8 more charge points to be installed during 2025 at Council car parks in Crediton and Tiverton. These are hosted by the Council but owned and run by Wenea.
- The Council heard from communities for the State of the District Debate in April 2022 with the theme: Devon’s Communities and Climate Change. This inspired Council partnership work to address the climate crisis.
Homes
- We have launched super-efficient Zed Pod homes at Cullompton and Tiverton with Net Zero energy performance designs.
- We have made energy efficiency improvements to thousands of council-owned homes, set budgets to keep on "investing to save" and have bid for funding to do more. A retrofit pilot project at 2 Lapford homes uses filtered air circulation and heat recapture to maximise comfort and minimise heating bills.
- Council home energy upgrades 2020-2024 e.g. insulation and roofing, cut over 600 tonnes CO2e per year.
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and flood management
- The Council is a partner in the Connecting the Culm project that works with farmers and communities on citizen science and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and flood risks.
- We have worked in partnership to help plant more than 4,000 trees across Mid Devon since 2021.
During the 2024-2025 season the Council planted 172 large standards in green spaces with funding from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, thanks to a partnership bid with Trees for Cities. This was additional to the 9 large standards planted along Blundell’s Road in Tiverton. Large standards equate to circa 10 saplings, so the equivalent of 1,810 trees planted this winter surpasses the Council’s annual target (500).
- All these trees will capture carbon and boost biodiversity for many years to come. Thank you to all involved!
A Carbon-Cutting Council
- We put all Council facilities on a certified 100% renewable electricity supply in 2023.
- We invested £2.8 million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) at the Crediton and Tiverton leisure centres to make them Net-Zero-ready and slash carbon emissions.
- That made Exe Valley Meadow Leisure Centre our first Net Zero sports centre, heated and cooled by ground-source and air-source heat pumps, powered by 100% renewable electricity and boosted by solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays for clean electricity. Efficiently run with a smart management system.
- Renewable energy features at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre include a biomass boiler fuelled by locally-sourced woodchip, advance heating / cooling with air- and ground-source heat pumps, run by 100% renewable power and solar PV on the roof. Efficiently run with a smart management system.
- Our Street Scene depot near Willand has 250 square metres of solar PV panels. Our office base at Phoenix House hosts a solar PV array and range of energy saving measures.
- We invested £300k to boost energy efficiency from the PSDS with smart LED lighting at Phoenix House, the multi-storey car park in Tiverton, and all 3 district leisure centres. These measures will cut 520 tonnes of CO2e in their lifetime, and should save £40k - £50k annually.
- Tech system upgrades since 2022-2024 are estimated to have saved over 6 tonnes CO2 equivalent annually.
- New LED lighting at Tiverton’s Pannier Market will save the equivalent of around 2 tonnes per year.
- We cut commuter traffic and emissions with hybrid working which benefits the wellbeing of our teams and communities, and makes the Council an attractive employer.
- The Council has 10 Electric Vehicles to substitute old diesel vans on our fleet, which will save 25 tonnes CO2e annually. We prioritise the greenest options each time we replace a vehicle.
- We will consider the climate impact of all projects that go through the Council’s committee system.
Monitoring our progress
The Council’s Carbon Footprint
The Council reports its ‘Greenhouse Gas Inventory’ or ‘Carbon Footprint’ which is an assessment of its climate change impact as an organisation, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The tCO2e is based on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of different greenhouse gases over a 100-year period in comparison to carbon dioxide (CO2).
The ‘baseline’ year was April 2018 - March 2019. Nett emissions are calculated based on reductions in greenhouse gas emissions linked to e.g. by generating renewable energy. The Carbon Footprint assessments have been carried out independently by the Centre for Energy and Environment at the University of Exeter using internationally accepted methods, and cover Scopes 1, 2, and 3. (Please note. Consistent methodological approach combined with changes to official reference sources such as emissions factors may result in changes made in retrospect to figures published for previous years.)
| Year | Gross (tCO2e) | Nett (tCO2e) |
|---|---|---|
| April 2018 - March 2019 | 17,032 | 17,032 |
| April 2019 - March 2020 | 16,033 | 16,024 |
| April 2020 - March 2021 | 14,725 | 14,717 |
| April 2021 - March 2022 | 16,656 | 16,415 |
| April 2022 - March 2023 | 17,911 | 17,730 |
| April 2023 - March 2024 | 16,779 | 16,454 |
Annual GHG Emissions in Tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) split by Scope
|
Tonnes of CO2 equivalent |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scope 1 |
6,535 |
6,887 |
7,026 |
7,077 |
6,655 |
6,514 |
|
Scope 2 |
3,625 |
2,705 |
2,460 |
2,367 |
2,270 |
2,497 |
|
Scope 3 |
6,872 |
6,440 |
5,238 |
7,213 |
8,985 |
7,768 |
|
Offset Carbon |
- |
(9) |
(8) |
(241) |
(181) |
(325) |
|
TOTAL (net) |
17,032 |
16,024 |
14,717 |
16,415 |
17,730 |
16,454 |
|
TOTAL (gross) |
17,032 |
16,033 |
14,725 |
16,656 |
17,911 |
16,779 |
Renewable Energy
The Council has rooftop solar arrays on its facilities - all 3 leisure centres, Phoenix House and Carlu Close. The proportion of the power supply they provide will vary between years and at each site, and the energy balance has recently changed at leisure centres e.g. heat pumps installed. The 2023-2024 figures indicate the solar PV made a percentage contribution to annual electricity needs as follows:
- Approximately 11% for Phoenix House (the council offices).
- Approximately 13% for Exe Valley Leisure Centre;
- Approximately 28% for Lords Meadow Leisure Centre;
- Approximately 32% for Culm Valley Sports Centre.
Corporate Plan and Climate Strategy priorities
The table below briefly summarises actions and progress in achieving the Council’s Corporate Plan 2024-2028 with particular emphasis on the Climate Change Strategy 2025-2028.
|
Ref |
Relevant priorities in the 2024-2028 Corporate Plan |
Notes on actions taken |
|---|---|---|
|
1.1 |
Demonstrate climate leadership through achieving ambitious net zero targets. |
|
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1.2 |
Support the district’s response to the climate emergency.
|
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|
1.3 |
We will work with stakeholders to introduce planning policy which reflects the key issues and challenges facing the district. |
|
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1.4 |
We will ensure that biodiversity is increased across the district. |
|
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1.5 |
We will value and protect Mid Devon’s natural and built environment. |
|
|
2.3 |
We will support the health, wellbeing, and safety of our residents. |
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3.2 |
We will build, promote, and encourage the building of energy efficient and low carbon homes and communities. |
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3.4 |
We will invest in our homes. We will upgrade our social housing by installing energy efficiency measures and renewable energy. |
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4.4 |
We will support business and economic development across Mid Devon, enabling job creation, and sustainable tourism growth. |
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4.5 |
We will work with partners to ensure that Mid Devon has the infrastructure it requires to meet its potential. |
|
| 5.2 | We will further increase our recycling services, enabling our communities to achieve even higher levels of recycling. |
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5.3 |
We will maintain our leisure services and ensure they are fit for the future. |
|
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5.5 |
We will continue to improve and transform our services. (e.g. digital) |
|
Devon Carbon Plan
Mid Devon District Council is a signatory to the Devon Climate Declaration. MDDC has worked within the Devon Climate Emergency partnership to help shape the Devon Carbon Plan, and to apply relevant parts of the Devon Carbon Plan to our own work.
