Council-funded Programmes Linked to Climate

This is a request for information according to the Freedom of Information Act.

 

It relates to cuts to council spending. Please note there are four parts to my request. 

 

(1) Please can you list the number of council-funded programmes linked to climate, 'net zero' and sustainability projects active

on 1 May 2025. Please can you provide a list of the projects. 

 

(2) Please can you list the council-funded programmes linked to climate, 'net zero' and sustainability projects active on 20

March 2026. 

 

(3) If your council has cut council-funded programmes linked to climate, 'net zero' and sustainability projects since 1 May

2025, please can you provide the savings in £GBP of those cuts. 

 

(4) Please can you tell me the number of sustainability staff (including but not limited to officers, managers, programme directors

overseeing the programmes from point 3 above) that the council employed (a) in the 12 months up to 1 May 2025, and (b) on 20 March 2025.

1.  It is difficult to separate out programmes that are “linked to climate, 'net zero' and sustainability projects”. Virtually every project that the Council does is linked to climate, net zero and sustainability in some way – due to the cross cutting nature of environmental issues. For example, the project to rationalise the MFDs/printers has a climate link, the maintenance contract for our buildings has a climate link, the IT projects to move some services on to the cloud has a climate link, etc. etc.

The projects that the Environmental Strategy Team are working on are in the areas of Environmental Management, Natural Environment and Active Travel. These projects have a mixture of external funding and internal funding through staff time. The project in these areas are:

Environmental Management

Carbon Management Plan

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting

Climate Adaptation Action Plan

Salix Fund Management

Energy Efficiency Projects with Corporate Property

Feed-in Tariff Management

Air Quality Project

Farm Audits

Environmental Data on GIS

Social Value / Environmental Procurement

Joint Public Health and Environmental projects

Circular Economy

Community environmental projects

Natural Environment

Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Tree Planting - Woodland Trust Project

Orchards Project

Delivery of the Trees and Woodland Planting Strategy

Street Tree Planting

Roots of Kesteven – project development

Biodiversity Duty reporting

Coastal Country Park

Heritage Coast

Countryside sites management

Active Travel

Local cycling and walking infrastructure developments

Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plan Updates

Bikeability

Cycle Hubs

Greenways / Quiet Lanes project

School Travel Plans

Feasibility studies for new active travel projects

2 – The projects listed in response to question 1 are still under way as of 20 March 2026.

3 – There have been no cuts to “climate, 'net zero' and sustainability projects” over the period outlined – work is continuing on the projects outlined above. The Council had a one-off development fund in the 2024/25 financial year of £475,000. The bulk of this funded energy efficiency projects at Council properties. It also funded some of the community environmental projects and farm audit work. In the 2025/26 financial year alternative funding streams have been sought – such as from central government sources – to allow these projects to continue. The bulk of the work on Active Travel and Natural Environment is funded by central government funding – through Active Travel England, DEFRA and Natural England.

4 – Staff numbers on 1 May 2025 were 11.1 FTE for the Environmental Management, Natural Environment and Active Travel areas.