2023 Action Scorecards

Ashford Borough Council

Nation
England
Net Zero target date
Whole area: 2030
Index of multiple deprivation
2
Total population
120k - 130k
Urbanisation
Urban with rural areas
Political control (Sept 2023)
NOC

About the Scorecards

Climate Emergency UK assessed all UK councils on the actions they've taken towards net zero. The Scorecard assessment consists of 91 questions or less, depending on council type, across 7 different sections, created in consultation with over 90 different organisations and individuals. Each council was marked against these criteria and given a right to reply before the scores underwent a final audit. This work was completed between January and August 2023. Unless otherwise stated, council climate action from 1st January 2019 up until 31st March 2023 was assessed.

You can check how this council scored in the 2021 Plan Scorecards (different questions to the Action Scorecards).

Key definitions

The question weighting determines the importance of that question to the overall section score. To ensure appropriate weighting to each question, each raw score for a question has been translated into a score out of one, two or three, depending on whether the question is weighted low (one), medium (two) or high (three). The questions that are weighted high are those we consider to have the biggest impact on emission reductions and a sustained long-term impact.

Click here for further information on Question Weighting.

The overall section score for a council is given in the table below. The final score is created from adding up the overall section scores and applying the section weighting. For example, receiving a 50% score in Collaboration & Engagement equals 5% of a council’s overall score. This is because Collaboration & Engagement is worth 10% of a council's overall score.

Click here for further information on Section Weighting.

Action Scorecard: Ashford

Councils have been scored across seven sections, each covering the important actions that councils can be taking towards net zero. The marks within these sections add up to make up the council's overall score. Here you can see where a council performs well and not so well in each section — and compare it to other councils at this granular level.

Choose district councils to compare

Filter questions in the table

Visit us again on a bigger screen

You'll find more options, like the ability to compare your council's Scorecard with other councils, and see a more granular breakdown of how they did on each question of the Scorecards.

QuestionsAshford Borough CouncilCouncils with full marks per question
Buildings & Heating29%
1.1

Has the council completed extensive retrofit work on any of its significant buildings to make them low carbon?

1/25 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.2

Are the council's operations powered by renewable energy?

0/24 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.3

Are the homes owned and managed by the council energy efficient?

2/35 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.4

Does the council have a target to retrofit all council owned and managed homes and has this been costed?

0/319 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.5

Is the council part of a programme or partnership to support home retrofitting, through providing the skills and training needed or in other ways?

0/173 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.6

Does the council have a staff member employed to work on retrofitting across the council area?

0/175 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.7

Are the homes and buildings in the council area energy efficient?

2/30 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.8

Is the council actively enforcing Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards of homes in the private rented sector?

0/23 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.9

Does the council provide a service to support private homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient?

0/1133 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.10

Does the council offer funding to private renters or homeowners to retrofit their homes?

1/1164 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.11

Does the council have a scheme to allow residents to purchase renewable energy cheaply, through collective buying?

2/298 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
1.12

Has the council supported local community renewable energy creation?

0/123 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
Transport

Penalty marks

Ashford Borough Council incurred a penalty of 4% in this section
8%
0 = Total score (0.32) − Penalty points (-0.32)
2.1

Is the council transitioning their vehicle fleet to electric?

0/126 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
2.2

Has the council set up or supported a shared transport scheme that can be used across their whole area?

1/60 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
2.10

Has the council supported the expansion of a public network of electric vehicle chargers?

0/20 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
2.11

Has the council approved, expanded or built a high carbon transport project since 2019?

Penalty marks: The maximum number of points for this question is 0. Read more about penalty mark questions.

0/0149 out of 164 district councils got no penalty marks for this question.
2.12a

Do the NO2 levels in a significant proportion of neighbourhoods within the council’s area exceed the safe World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution guidelines?

Penalty marks: The maximum number of points for this question is 0. Read more about penalty mark questions.

0/092 out of 164 district councils got no penalty marks for this question.
2.12b

Do the PM 2.5 levels in a significant proportion of neighbourhoods in the council’s area exceed the safe World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution guidelines?

Penalty marks: The maximum number of points for this question is 0. Read more about penalty mark questions.

-0.32/00 out of 164 district councils got no penalty marks for this question.
Planning & Land Use5%
3.1

Is the council's area wide net zero target a strategic objective of the Local Plan?

0/131 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.2

Has the council committed to building all future council owned or managed housing to a high energy efficiency or operationally net-zero standard?

0/230 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.3a

Does the council require new homes to make an improvement on the Part L building regulations?

0/132 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.3b

Does the council require a fabric first approach for new development?

0/138 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.3c

Does the council set a requirement that all new homes to be built must be operationally (regulated) net zero?

0/215 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.4

Does the council require developers to carry out a whole life cycle carbon assessment of new build developments?

0/125 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.5

Does the council require a higher level of water efficiency for all new homes?

1/1111 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.6

Has the council removed minimum parking requirements for new residential homes across their area?

0/231 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.7

Does the council include a policy in the Local Plan to create 15/20 minute neighbourhoods?

0/124 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.8

Has the council committed to avoiding new building developments on the functional flood plain?

0/162 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.9

Does the council have a minimum requirement for on-site renewable energy generation for new building development?

0/210 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.10a

Does the Local Plan identify suitable areas for new solar energy, wind developments and district heat networks?

0/311 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
3.10b

Has the Council approved any planning applications for new or expanded solar or wind developments, battery storage, or renewable district heat networks since 2019?

0/513 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
Governance & Finance41%
4.1a

Does the council's corporate plan include a net-zero target and make tackling the climate emergency one of its main priorities?

1/164 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.1b

Does the council's medium term financial plan include the council's net zero target and make tackling the climate emergency one of its main priorities?

1/135 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.2

Has the council published a climate change risk register?

1/133 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.3a

Is the council reporting on its own greenhouse gas emissions?

0/148 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.3b

According to the council's own reporting, have the council's own greenhouse gas emissions reduced since 2019?

0/310 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.4

Has the council's area wide carbon emissions decreased, according to UK Government data?

1/34 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.5

Has the council adopted a new governance or decision making process to put tackling the climate emergency at the heart of every council decision made?

1/210 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.6

Has the Council embedded climate action and waste reduction into their procurement policies?

1/33 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.7

Does the council have a Cabinet member or Portfolio Holder that has climate change explicitly in their remit?

1/1136 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.8

What percentage of the council's overall staff work on implementing their Climate Action Plan or other climate change projects?

2/317 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.9

Have all senior management and councillors in the cabinet or committee chairs received climate awareness training?

1/128 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.10a

Has the council raised income for climate action from property development?

0/133 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.10b

Has the council launched a Climate Bond, Community Municipal Investment or equivalent?

0/12 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.10c

Has the council raised income for climate action from any other sources?

1/189 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.11a

Has the council passed a motion in support of divestment from all fossil fuels from the councils' pension funds?

0/212 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.11b

Has the council's pensions fund committed to divesting from all fossil fuels?

0/20 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
4.12

Does the council have direct investments in airports or high carbon intensive energy industries?

Penalty marks: The maximum number of points for this question is 0. Read more about penalty mark questions.

0/0160 out of 164 district councils got no penalty marks for this question.
Biodiversity20%
5.1

Does the council use peat free compost or soil in all landscaping and horticulture?

0/138 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.2

Has the council banned the use of pesticides on all council owned and managed land?

0/110 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.3

Has the council committed to mowing their green spaces less for wildlife?

1/1129 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.5

Does the council have a target to increase tree cover and is a tree management plan agreed as they grow?

1/124 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.7

Have the council's parks been awarded Green Flag status?

0/247 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.8

Does the council employ a planning ecologist to scrutinise planning reports for biodiversity net gain?

0/128 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
5.9

Does the council require a higher biodiversity net gain commitment from new developments?

0/110 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
Collaboration & Engagement59%
6.1

Do the council's climate pages include information about behaviour changes that residents can take, and are they easy to find?

1/1131 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.2a

Has the council published a climate action plan with SMART targets?

1/1128 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.2b

Has the council published an up to date and easy-to-read annual report on their Climate Action Plan?

0/345 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.3

Has the council lobbied the government for climate action?

0/160 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.4

Is the council working with external partners or other councils to seek to influence national governments on climate action, or to learn about and share best practice on council climate action?

2/236 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.5a

Does the council have an ongoing way for residents to influence the implementation of the council's Climate Action Plan?

1/222 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.5b

Does the council's ongoing engagement with residents include those most affected by climate change and climate action policy?

2/214 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.6

Does the council provide funding for community climate action, for example through an environment fund or climate action fund?

1/179 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.8

Is the council working in partnership with cultural institutions and organisations to encourage decarbonisation within culture and arts locally?

1/153 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.9

Is the council working in partnership with schools or other education settings to deliver climate action that young people can engage with?

1/183 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.10

Is the council working in partnership with local businesses to encourage decarbonisation?

0/1122 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
6.11

Has the council passed a motion to ban high carbon advertising and sponsorship?

0/13 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
Waste Reduction & Food36%
7.1a

Has the council reduced single use plastic in its buildings and events?

0/148 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.1b

Has the council reduced single use plastic at external events on council land, property or public spaces such as roads and parks?

0/28 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.2

Has the council taken steps to support a circular economy locally?

0/119 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.3

Does the council support initiatives to redistribute surplus food?

1/158 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.4a

Does the council have a sustainable food strategy?

0/112 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.4b

Is the council part of a sustainable food partnership?

0/122 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.5

Has the council taken steps to support local food growing?

1/180 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.7

Does the council provide kerbside food waste recycling?

1/183 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.8

How high is the councils' area wide annual recycling rate?

1/30 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
7.9

How low is the councils' area wide level of household waste produced?

0/21 out of 164 district councils got full marks for this question.
Total score26%
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