Bath & North East Somerset Council has been named the region’s most proactive public sector body in the South West Green Energy Awards 2013.
The council competed against other public sector bodies from across the South West including other local authorities, colleges, health bodies, fire services and the police. 
Hosted by renewable energy champions Regen SW, the winners were announced at an awards ceremony at Bath's Assembly Rooms.
Judges said the council “provided compelling evidence of a long, impressive and diverse list of achievements across electricity, heat and transport plus other low-carbon/sustainability agendas”.
The judges were particularly impressed by the way the council developed a replicable and strong partnership with a local community group – a partnership that has proved highly effective for delivery of projects on the ground.
The judges were impressed with the wide range of actions that the council has developed to facilitate a 45% cut in CO2 by 2026, including:
- Building a very low-energy office in Keynsham;
- becoming the first local authority to begin a major programme to convert street lights to LED;
- driving forward a cooperation agreement to enable the development of Bath & West Community Energy;
- launching the Bath Green Homes joint project with Transition Bath and Bath Preservation Trust;
- creating the Energy@Home partnership to support residents to save energy at home; providing community group training under the Local Energy Champions scheme;
- making a political commitment to making the Bath Enterprise area a zero carbon regeneration scheme;
- cutting 80% of city centre deliveries to businesses subscribed to the Freight Consolation scheme;
- achieving 52%-plus of residential waste being recycled with the aim to recover value from 80%-plus of its waste in 2013/14 through mechanical biological treatment (MBT).
The council’s ‘energy champion’ Cllr David Martin said: “We have robust policies in both renewable energy and energy efficiency and a strong team of officers in many departments that have contributed towards this success. It really has been a team effort.”
Corporate sustainability manager Jane Wildblood added: “It’s great to be recognised for the wide range of low carbon projects the council has undertaken and for the cumulative impact of those, as well as for our focus on working with the community to enable much more action on the ground than would otherwise be possible.”
Regen SW chief executive Merlin Hyman said: “Every year the standard and number of entries we receive rises, demonstrating the growing strength and depth of the renewable energy industry in the South West.
“The north of the region is performing particularly well, with four out of seven winners coming from Bath, Bristol or Gloucestershire. These winners are not only leading their field in this part of the country but also playing foremost roles in the development of renewable energy across the UK.”
