Justin Galliford is concerned that net zero has been underestimated

This is a period of change and great difficulty, with continuing inflation, ever-tighter budgets, new waste regulations and political uncertainty. With so much adversity, it's all too easy to overlook the most important challenge we are facing – achieving net zero.

Most councils have declared their commitment to net zero, but talking to local government leaders I'm increasingly concerned that the country is at risk of underestimating just how much achieving this ambitious aim entails.

However well-prepared local government may be, much of net zero is dependent on central government action – infrastructure for EV charging, reliable green energy supplies, and a regulatory framework giving local government the powers they need take action and re-engineer services.

I believe that without significant government support and direction we and our local authority partners will struggle to achieve our aims.

Net zero is something we at Norse have been working on in our own business and in our local authority partnerships; and the more we look into it, the more we understand how much is involved – and how much it is likely to cost.

Among its many activities, Norse Group has a specialist Environmental Consultancy, which includes net zero specialists. They, and our council partners, are developing a comprehensive strategy which will allow us and our partners to achieve net zero as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

In the words of Jeffrey Matsu, chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy: ‘The timelines for achieving net zero are ambitious, and radical solutions will be needed to achieve them.'

Net zero is a huge undertaking and it will only be achieved if every community – from households, to businesses, to central and local government – is committed to decarbonisation; and it will require central leadership, local implementation and national commitment.

Local councils can, and do, control the delivery of low carbon infrastructure using their regulatory powers, procurement processes and their trusted relationship with residents. They are key to helping Government in meeting net zero carbon ambitions, but will need their unwavering support to do so.

www.norsepartnerships.co.uk

Justin Galliford is Chief Executive Officer of Norse Group