Case studies

As part of its Zero Carbon Strategy, South Cambridgeshire District Council has invested £1.9 million in a retrofit of its Cambourne headquarters, installing renewable generation and efficient energy management systems to dramatically reduce energy bills and almost halve the carbon emissions from the building in year one.

In developing a healthy new town, South Cambridgeshire has re-considered its approach to developing play schemes and encouraging activity. A more adventurous approach is leading to what is being dubbed “playable landscapes”. This case study shows how district councils have improved the health of their local areas.

South Cambridgeshire District Council formed the Business Support and Development team in summer 2020 to provide essential services and impact economic growth across the district. One of their first tasks was to assist in the distribution of government grants throughout the pandemic. The focus progressed to how the council could further help businesses as we emerged from the pandemic, which led to the development and launch of the Visit South Cambs website.

The Zero Carbon Communities grant scheme is part of a wider programme which offers practical and financial support to non-profit organisations and parish councils, empowering them to take action in response to the climate emergency. The annual grant scheme funds projects which reduce carbon emissions or engage communities on climate change. Projects have been funded which promote sustainable travel, improve the energy efficiency of community buildings, encourage shifts to lower carbon diets, and plant trees. The wider programme provides workshops, community networking events and a newsletter sharing good practice and ideas.

This case study focuses on using the action learning process with the LGA to develop a community communication programme that reassures the local community that using hydrogen as a low carbon fuel for transport is safe.

The project context

This project aimed to provide scientific advice and support as well as building capability within South Gloucestershire Council to identify pathways to local climate targets and support the delivery of the South Gloucestershire local Climate Action Plan, which is now at its second year of delivery.

South Gloucestershire Council created a Financial Security Group to link all areas of financial security together and provide a comprehensive approach to supporting people.

South Gloucestershire agreed a new plan for children’s social care in October 2021 which will see an extra £10m invested over the coming three to five years.

The council had previously assessed the leisure management options on the expiry of its leisure contract, and had decided to extend the contract in place for a period of 15 months in order to procure a new contract arrangement. As a result of COVID-19 this position proved unviable, as the council were providing significant financial support to their contractor, and a procurement during the pandemic was not likely to produce a beneficial result. The council therefore reassessed the options available, and as a result Cabinet agreed to transfer the leisure service to a wholly-owned council company called LeisureSK Ltd.