Essex County Council

Criteria met if the council have done any of the following extensive retrofit works for any one of its significant buildings:
- created on-site renewable energy
- whole building retrofitting, including heat pump installations
- extensive insulation of walls and floors
- replacing gas boilers or installing a combined heating system

Three-tier criteria
Criteria met if the council has completed an exercise to measure how much, approximately, it will cost them to retrofit the councils' building estate (to EPC C or higher, or equivalent) and there is a target date for when this work will be completed by.

First tier criteria met if the target date is before 2050, second tier criteria met if the date is before 2040 and third tier criteria met if the target date is before 2030.

Criteria met if either:
- the council convenes or is a member of a local retrofit partnership, that focuses on developing the skills and training needed for retrofit or sharing knowledge around retrofitting.
Evidence of this partnership is needed. At least two of the following must be visible:
1. A named partnership with a public membership list
2. A terms of reference or aims of the group
3. Evidence of previous meetings, via notes, agendas, videos or in news stories

Alternatively, the criteria is met if the council convenes or supports a programme for retrofitting locally through providing training or skills support.

Criteria is met if the council is either providing a tailor-made advice to residents on home energy efficiency, or connecting residents with local tradespeople and suppliers for energy efficiency measures that can be carried out in their homes.

Criteria met if the council provides any amount of funding to any number of private renters, landlords or homeowners to retrofit their homes. This would include grant funding councils have secured from the Green Homes Grants and the Sustainable Warmth national government programmes if the council are administering them.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council is running a Solar Streets or equivalent collective energy buying project.

Second tier criteria met if the council is running a Solar Together or equivalent project, such as iChoosr or Make My House Green. Points awarded to any other scheme councils are doing that are on a similar scale to Solar Together.

Criteria met if there is public information about a council working with a local community renewable energy generation infrastructure project, such as wind, solar or hydro. Evidence of this could include:
- Being formally listed as a partner on the community energy projects' website
- Evidence on the councils' website of the council providing funding, land or other support to the community energy project.

Criteria met for each type of scheme where a member of the public can hire a vehicle (e.g. car/scooter/bike/mobility device) within the local authorities area.

The following schemes will be awarded points:
- Car share scheme of any size in the area. Including:
- Community car clubs.
- Car clubs provided by private companies
- Hiring of council vehicles when not in use
- Bike share scheme
- E-bike or cargo bike share scheme
- E-scooter scheme
- Mobility Devices
- Wheels 2 Work scheme

Trial schemes that are active at the time of marking will be accepted.

Two tier criteria
First tier criteria met if there are 10 or more enforced school streets.

Second tier criteria met if there are 30 or more enforced school streets.

Criteria met if a council has implemented a Clean Air Zone or Low Emission Zone that is currently in operation.

For this question the Clean Air Zone or Low Emission Zone does not have to require charges for private vehicles.

Local authorities that do not breach the WHO air quality levels for NO2 in 25% or more of their neighbourhoods (therefore they don't receive any negative points for Questions 12a) will not be marked against this question. If a county council has a constituent district with 75% of their neighbourhoods breaching the WHO air quality levels they will be marked against this question, whether or not 25% of all of their neighbourhoods breach the WHO NO2 guidelines.

Criteria met if a council has implemented a Clean Air Zone or Low Emission Zone that is currently in operation and it charges for private vehicles.

For this question the Clean Air Zone or Low Emission Zone does have to require charges for private vehicles.

Local authorities that do not breach the WHO air quality levels for NO2 in 25% or more of their neighbourhoods (therefore they don't receive any negative points for Questions 12a) will not be marked against this question. If a county council has a constituent district with 75% of their neighbourhoods breaching the WHO air quality levels they will be marked against this question, whether or not 25% of all of their neighbourhoods breach the WHO NO2 guidelines.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council has a controlled parking zone across any area of the local authority. This can be for any time period stated.

Second tier criteria met if the council has controlled parking zones across the whole area of the local authority. This can be for any time period stated.

Criteria met if there are any low-emission buses in use across the area.

Criteria met if a workplace parking levy is in place by the time of marking.

The workplace parking levy does not have to cover the whole of the council's area.

For scoring purposes we will count a scheme as implemented if it is currently in place, or the scheme has been approved by the council with a date set for the start of the implementation.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if climate implications are listed or referenced for all council decisions at full council. Climate implications can be considered through Environmental Implications or an Integrated Impact Assessment if this includes a climate or environmental sub-heading or section.

Second tier criteria met if the council is using a detailed impact assessment tool to assess the climate implications of all council decisions.

Criteria met if the council has a stand alone environmental or sustainable procurement policy, or a complete section on Sustainable or Responsible Procurement, Climate Change or Action or something similar within their procurement policy that makes explicit reference to the council's Climate Action Plan and clearly includes an area-wide net zero target date.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council has a mandatory requirement for tenders to do any of the following:
- Demonstrate how they will meet energy efficiency requirements or minimise energy consumption.
- Demonstrate how they will minimise waste in their products and services. This could be through recycled, natural, biodegradable or renewable materials being used, through not using single use plastic or other non-recyclable materials or through ensuring products and services last for as long as possible.

Second tier criteria met if the council's procurement policy includes any of the following:
- The council aims to source low or zero carbon energy wherever possible.
- The council aims to phase out the use of fossil fuels from their council fleet.
- The council references the waste hierarchy in its policy, for example by stating that it encourages the councils to consider if repeat procurement requests are always needed.

Criteria met if the council has a role such as Chair of Environment Committee, Cabinet Member for Environment, Chair of Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee or any title with the words Climate Change, Climate Action, Climate Emergency, Environmental Sustainability, Environment or similar in it.
This role can be merged with another role, such as Environment and Transport.

Criteria is met if the council has used either the Community Infrastructure Levy or Section 106 to raise any amount of ring-fenced funds for climate action, explicitly to fund climate action projects, including mitigation, adaptation, ecological and biodiversity restoration or enhancement. The funds must be ring-fenced for climate or ecological projects, created with money from property development.

References to funds covering blue or green infrastructure projects, sustainable drainage, transport or other specific projects listed in an Infrastructure Funding Statement is not valid. A commitment to climate action in Infrastructure Funding Strategies is also not valid.

In Scotland, the criteria is met if the council has used section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 for the same purposes as above.
In Northern Ireland, the criteria is met if the council has used section 76 of the 2011 Planning Act for the same purposes as above.

Criteria met if the council has launched a Climate Bond, Community Municipal Investment or equivalent of any amount as a way to raise funds for climate action that the council is delivering.

Criteria is met if the council has raised any amount of funds for climate action through any of the following:
- Energy Service Company
- Successful grants in relation to climate action (including active travel, bus or other public transport improvements, rewilding, waste reduction, or biodiversity and conservation projects)
- Joint Ventures/Special Purpose Vehicles
- Loans (including through Salix Finance or Public Works Loans Board)

Penalty Mark Question
Points deducted if the council has direct investments or shares, of any size, in airports or any carbon intensive industries.

-15% of the maximum possible section score will be deducted if the council has any direct investments.

Criteria met if the council has stopped using peat in soils in all landscaping and horticulture, such as parks and council properties. A statement that the council has stopped using peat compost or soil on their website or biodiversity strategy will be sufficient to meet the criteria.

Criteria met if the council has stated they are mowing their green spaces, including parks and road verges less regularly, or if the council has stated they are creating wildflower habitats within green spaces the local authorities manage.

Criteria met if the council has a target to increase tree cover which has been included in the Biodiversity Action Plan and/or Tree Strategy, provided the council has agreed a tree management plan that details how new trees will be irrigated and cared for.

Criteria met if any area of the local authority that has been deemed safe to do so has dimmed street lighting or part night lighting.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council is a member of any one of the following organisations or has contributed to one case study of the following organisations.

Second tier criteria met if the council:
- is a member of 3 or more of the following organisations
- has contributed to case studies with 3 or more of the following organisations.
- any combination of the above.

Membership organisations:
- UK100 (Including the Countryside Climate Network)
- ADEPT
- Blueprint Coalition
- ICLEI
- Carbon Neutral Cities
- UK Green Building Council
- Sustainable Scotland Network
- Carbon Disclosure Project (including submitting to the CDP since 2019)

Case studies:
- Friends of the Earth & Ashden case studies
- LGA (Local Government Association) climate change case studies
- UK100 case studies
- WRAP case studies

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council has established a way for residents to influence the implementation of the council's climate action. This may be through:
- a community engagement group
- introducing community, resident or activist representation on a council climate change committee/group
- convening or using a local climate action network to improve the implementation of their climate action plan
- broader forms of community engagement work such as a series of workshops across the area for different groups of residents.

Second tier criteria met if there is an overarching framework such as a dedicated climate public engagement plan to inform this work.

Two-tier criteria
First tier criteria met if the council's ongoing engagement (under 5a) specifically aims to engage those most affected by climate change and climate action policies.

Second tier criteria met if the council's climate action plan has undergone an equalities impact assessment to identify who is most affected by climate change and climate action policies.

Criteria met for a ring-fenced fund that a council has created to spend on climate action locally, either in partnership with the council or for other organisations or volunteer and community groups. The fund must fulfill the following criteria:
- The fund is at least £10k in size. Where the overall amount of funding has not been stated, it will be assumed that funds awarding individual grants over £1k in size have a total fund of at least £10k.
- The fund is accessible to community groups, including, where relevant, parish councils.
- The funding has been open to applications at some point since 1st January 2023, in order to include funds released in waves that may not be open at the time of marking.

Criteria met if the council has embedded health services into their climate change work or if they have embedded climate change into their health partnership work. This includes embedding climate impacts into the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).

Criteria met if there is a partnership between the council and local sports, arts and cultural partnerships, provided the partnership includes any one of the following: funding for climate work, evidence of co-creation with community groups, the decarbonisation of cultural buildings including targets, initiatives that encourage behaviour change such as sustainable travel incentives, or a focus on climate justice.

Criteria met if the council supports schools or other education settings by running any of the following schemes in more than one school:
- EnergySparks or equivalent auditing schemes which require local authority support.
- Solar Schools or other visible low-carbon interventions.
- Democratic engagement work in schools or other education settings to connect young people to climate decision making, including establishing youth climate panels or parliaments and holding youth climate summits for schools in the area.

Criteria met if the council provides support or free tailored advice to businesses in the local area to decarbonise, including through collaborative measures with local businesses, other local authorities, or via the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Criteria met if the council has done any one of the following:
- Provided funding or space provided for a repair cafe or similar
- Provided funding or space for exchange or reuse shops or similar at household recycling centres or elsewhere
- Signed up as part of circular economy project

Criteria met if the council supports an organisation that redistributes surplus food within the area through funding, staff or other ways (such as being listed as a partner of the project).

Criteria met if the strategy or work plan covers the whole council area (sometimes called place-based) and includes sections on sustainable food or the climate impacts of food.
The strategy must cover 6 months or more.

Criteria met if the council is listed on the Sustainable Food Places membership list, or, if there is evidence that the council is part of a sustainable food partnership that fulfills the same criteria as Sustainable Food Places membership. The council can either lead the partnership or be a key member, such as on the steering group.

Criteria met if the council has proactively created more space for local food growing through providing funding, land, staff or other resources to support:
- community garden or orchards
- schools to have growing spaces
- community or city farms or gardens, including edible fruit/veg/herbs patches in public spaces such as parks, rooftops or grass verges.

Criteria met if there is one completely vegetarian day each week on the school menu found on the councils' website or councils' principal school catering provider website.