What is the Council doing about Climate Change?

District Wide Carbon Strategy

 
The Council’s District Wide Carbon Strategy has taken a collaborative approach to tackle the urgent challenges posed by climate change and ecological decline, that aligns with national and international commitments such as the UK’s Net Zero 2050 target and the Paris Agreement. Building on the council’s 2019 climate emergency declaration, this strategy establishes a practical framework for reducing carbon emissions across the wider community, businesses and public sector partners through action in areas including energy use, transport, biodiversity, waste, water and sustainable land management. The strategy aims to improve resilience, cut pollution and support the transition to a greener, low-carbon economy with strong emphasis on collaboration, community engagement and continuous learning to ensure the district achieves a sustainable and climate-resilient future for all.
 
A consultation on Folkestone & Hythe's Draft District Wide Carbon Strategy ran from the 6th of November to the 1st of December 2023, using multiple methods including an online portal, targeted mail outs to 5,000 households, four drop-in events (in Folkestone, New Romney, Hythe and the North Downs), and a dedicated council email address. The council collaborated with LVB Creative to produce social media videos and reached stakeholders via email, including 834 businesses, Carbon Innovation Lab members, 41 statutory partners, schools, town/parish councils and local community groups. The consultation received comments from 455 respondents and almost 2,500 individual comments on the draft district wide carbon plan in total.

The Council's Carbon Action Plan

Folkestone & Hythe District Council declared a climate and ecological emergency on 24 July 2019, committing to:

  1. Reduce carbon emissions from its own estate and operations to net zero by 2030.
  2. To develop a strategy for Folkestone & Hythe District Council to play a leadership role in promoting community, public and business partnerships for this Carbon Neutral 2030 commitment throughout the district.

A Carbon Action Plan (PDF, 1.23MB) was developed and adopted by cabinet in February 2021. It includes a baseline of the council's current carbon emissions and sets out 33 actions to continue our journey to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2030. This will be reviewed regularly.

There are a range of actions, some of which are being progressed while others will take longer to implement. They focus on six key areas - energy, behaviour change, transport, water, contracts and biodiversity/green spaces.

An update of the Carbon Action Plan is currently being finalised.

Progress being made to tackle climate change

Since announcing our commitment to net zero we knew it was not going to be an easy instant fix. Some areas have proved challenging to work out the best way forward. There are 33 actions set out in the Carbon Action Plan divided over the short, medium and longer term for us to tackle as we journey towards achieving net zero by 2030.

Progress made so far

Find out more about what we are doing in our Climate Change and Ecological Emergency briefing notes.

Carbon footprint reporting

Folkestone & Hythe District Council commissioned LASER to complete an updated carbon footprint review for the 2024–25 financial year, building on the Council’s earlier baseline work from 2018–19. The review assessed emissions from the Council’s estate and operations, including core estate utilities, vehicle fuels, grounds maintenance fuels, street lighting, car parks, water supply and treatment, staff mileage, and emissions from contracts and services.

The Council’s wider carbon footprint for 2024–25, including Scope 3 emissions from contracts and operational activity, is estimated at 3,094 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). This includes 291 tCO₂e from Scope 1 direct emissions, 276 tCO₂e from Scope 2 purchased electricity, and 2,527 tCO₂e from Scope 3 indirect emissions. Scope 3 emissions include 1,354 tCO₂e from contracted services, 1,147 tCO₂e from the Veolia waste contract, 17.9 tCO₂e from staff miles reclaimed, and 8.1 tCO₂e from water supply and treatment.

When comparing emissions on a like-for-like basis with the Council’s 2018–19 baseline, operational emissions have fallen from 624 tCO₂e in 2018–19 to 575 tCO₂e in 2024–25. This is a reduction of 49 tCO₂e, or approximately 8%.

Key reductions achieved:

  • Diesel for Council-owned vehicles reduced from 126.6 tCO₂e to 70.2 tCO₂e.
  • Red diesel use reduced from 53.0 tCO₂e to 5.6 tCO₂e.
  • Gas emissions reduced from 219.5 tCO₂e to 195.5 tCO₂e.
  • Street lighting emissions fell from 46.5 tCO₂e to 37.0 tCO₂e.
  • Core estate electricity emissions reduced from 243 tCO₂e in 2023–24 to 221 tCO₂e in 2024–25, a reduction of 22 tCO₂e.

Corporate Plan and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s Corporate Plan sets the strategic direction for the district, emphasizing sustainability, community well-being, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The title of our plan is ‘Our District Our World: Enhancing prosperity and well-being for all’ to indicate the link between local and global action and drawing attention to health, inclusion and equality – all hallmarks of a healthy society. The plan will guide all major council initiatives from 2025 to 2030, including climate action, housing and economic development.

Waste Contract Carbon Reduction

Folkestone & Hythe District Council and Veolia, our waste contractor, are continuing to make strong progress in reducing the carbon impact of waste collection and street cleansing operations at Folkestone Depot. Between 2020 and 2025, the depot achieved a 12.60% reduction in overall Scope 1, Scope 2 and selected Scope 3 emissions, cutting total annual emissions by 152.73 tCO₂e. Total emissions fell from 1,211.77 tCO₂e in 2020 to 1,059.04 tCO₂e in 2025.

The Depot has now started using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), now used as a 20% blend across the depot’s fleet. In 2025, the depot used 71,856 litres of HVO, helping deliver an estimated 172.50 tCO₂e carbon saving compared with equivalent diesel use.
HVO is a practical renewable fuel which can be used without vehicle modifications or new infrastructure, supporting lower-carbon operations while maintaining reliable frontline services for residents.