Case studies

The Heart of the South West LEP and East Devon District Council have worked with Ampaire, a US hybrid electric aircraft developer, to complete the first English Hybrid electric test flight from Exeter Airport. This has led to an inward investment plan for the region, focusing on high potential opportunities for Smart and Sustainable Aviation within Devon & Somerset. The first stage of this plan will see the development of a Living Lab for Future Aviation testing and demonstration.

Wiltshire Council’s Climate Team supported a research project aiming to bring Maths to life for Year 7 students. Partnered with a Maths Teacher from a local school, the team developed a challenge to support their Statistics module – using real data from the Council’s public consultation on its draft Climate Strategy. The project focused on Mean, Median, Mode and Range at the level required for Year 7. Students created tally charts, bar charts and pictograms, calculated emissions, money savings and funding, and analysed how Wiltshire residents feel about climate change and the Council’s plans.

Wiltshire Council has committed to being a carbon neutral organisation by 2030, such a bold ambition required an equally bold Climate Strategy. A key part of the strategy was ensuring the community weren’t just passengers but were involved in driving policy. To ensure they brought the community with them, the Council developed an engagement strategy to reach a broad demographic, with a focus on those not engaged in the climate agenda. The strategy saw them publish a Climate Strategy Discussion document, then engage the community through webinars, consultations, an electronic survey and face to face events with residents, schools and disability groups, all supported by coverage from all major local media.

Hampshire County Council declared 2022 the “Year of Climate Resilience”, providing an opportunity for the Council to raise awareness of what climate resilience is and promote their approach

Brighton and Hove's Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan recognises and sets out plans to deliver the infrastructure needed to improve the city’s active travel network - creating the foundations to enable an active travel network where the whole community has the practical choices to travel by walking, wheeling, or cycling in a healthy and sustainable way.

The pioneering 5G Connected and Automated Logistics (5G CAL) pilot is the first in the UK to evaluate the potential of next generation technology in overcoming barriers for a more efficient future for last mile logistics. The pilot focused on understanding and utilising ground-breaking 5G technology in an operational automotive environment, to develop the UK’s first zero emission automated logistics HGV. The Council are now planning and delivering a series of projects to develop the technology and establish a testbed for connected and automated logistics in the North East.

In February 2021, Lancashire County Council adopted a resolution to set out on an ambitious carbon reduction and nature recovery strategy that seeks to 'transition the Lancashire economy away from carbon by 2030 and address the biodiversity crisis'. They recognised that the planned highway capital surfacing programme was a highly carbon intensive programme of works so have begun a journey to ascertain the carbon output of the programme, record and measure changes made to reduce carbon outputs and develop tools to eventually integrate carbon usage into the asset lifecycle modelling.

Warwick District Council have been awarded funding as part of a ‘Project Group’ programme to develop and deliver their rural community engagement programme. The first stage has seen them develop and deliver a training programme on community engagement practices with local community groups, key officers and Members. They are now in phase two of the programme, which will see them take this same programme and deliver it to rural communities.

Leeds City Council and its network partners Vital Energi have delivered a £49 million network of insulated underground pipes, supplying 15,400 megawatt-hours of heating last year, helping to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by more than 2,000 tonnes. The heat and hot water used in the system is produced from non-recyclable waste at the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF), creating a reliable and affordable lower carbon alternative to traditional fossil fuel powered heating systems for connected buildings.

Ealing Council in West London are creating the conditions to develop a mass community cycling culture in Southall, by tackling the core underlying barriers to cycling and putting residents at the heart of any change. The Sport England funded project involves the giveaway of up to 2,500 bikes to residents, a wraparound training offer, friends to cycle with, daily led cycle rides for all abilities and a platform to create wider system and infrastructure development to sustain a new cycling culture.