This will be the last Deputy Leader Update from me and I?d like to say thank you to all who take the time to read these updates. I?ve especially enjoyed using this platform to keep you all updated on our progress to become a carbon neutral city and how you can contribute towards this. I?ve stepped down from my role as Deputy Leader but I?ll continue to oversee the portfolio for Energy, Environment and Waste Services.

In January 2020, Nottingham City Council acknowledged the scale of the climate crisis by declaring a Climate and Ecological Emergency. We recognised that immediate action was needed, and we made a plan to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028.

Since we launched the Nottingham Carbon Neutral Action Plan, the city has been making strides towards carbon neutrality, and we have reduced the city?s carbon emissions by over 52% since 2005.

There are too many fantastic projects to mention them all, but here are some of our key achievements:

• Over 45% of the council?s vehicle fleet are now Ultra Low Emission Vehicles and we are supporting local businesses to switch to electric vehicles through EVE, our 30-day trial scheme
• Since 2012, over 7,000 cold homes across the city have been improved with energy efficiency measures to help residents save money on energy bills and improve health outcomes ? with funding secured for a further 1,200 properties
• Solar panels have been installed across the city, including 720 on the roof of the new Broad Marsh Car Park
• Waste reduction schemes have included recycling Christmas trees as chippings for Nottingham?s parks and green spaces
• Volunteers and schools across the city planted more than 23,000 trees, including five Tiny Forests
• In partnership with neighbouring councils, we launched the Green Rewards app. The app provides suggestions to help you reduce your carbon footprint, as well as a chance to win prizes every month when you log your ?green? actions.

It?s great to see local organisations get on board with our mission and I?d like to give particular thanks to those that have signed up to the We Support campaign and members of the Nottingham Green Partnership and all the businesses who have incorporated sustainability into their operating model.

I would like to encourage everyone in the city to help Nottingham become carbon neutral. As well as reducing carbon footprints, becoming a more sustainable city will help people to save money on bills, benefit from improved air quality, live healthier lives, and make Nottingham a better place to live, work and visit.

If you want to keep up to date with our progress and get involved, follow the team on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up to the monthly CN28 newsletter.

Last week saw the formal opening of the Business & IP Centre local in Bulwell Riverside library. Local entrepreneurs and business owners can now access free databases and resources, webinars, bespoke advice and connect with other founders and specialist partners for inspiration and practical advice ? both online and in person, thanks to a wider expansion of the British Library?s BIPC national network.

Two local Bulwell-based businesses, Laura Hardwicks, founder of Hardwicks Canine Grooming and Natalee Onyeche, founder of Skin Solace, have shared their experience of using the support offered by BIPC which they found invaluable when setting up their businesses.?

You can see what they thought and rread more about BIPC and the Bulwell launch here

Don?t forget, SMEs that want to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on bills can get energy saving advice and access to grants to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings through the Accelerating Reduction in Carbon (ARC) scheme. Find out more here.

Active Nottingham?s Harvey Hadden Sports Village and Clifton Leisure Centre have been awarded the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) Mark for their facilities, joining Ken Martin Leisure Centre in three of eight centres in the East Midlands and the only centres in Nottingham to have this accreditation.

The IFI programme is run by the English Federation of Disability Sport and supports leisure centres to become more welcoming and accessible environments for disabled people.

I take pride in Nottingham being an inclusive city and I?m really pleased to see that three of our leisure centres have achieved this award. Sport and physical activity can play a key role in people?s lives and communities and it is important to do all we can to ensure that people don?t feel excluded from them.

More information about the IFI programme and the English Federation of Disability Sport can be found here.