2023 Action Scorecards

Essex County Council

Nation
England
Net Zero target date
Council only: 2030
Index of multiple deprivation
1
Total population
1m +
Political control (Sept 2023)
Conservative

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: Essex

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 county 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.

QuestionsEssex County CouncilCouncils with full marks per question
Buildings & Heating92%
1.1

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

1.0/21 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
1.2

Are the council's operations powered by renewable energy?

1.0/21 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/114 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/115 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/121 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
1.10

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

1.0/119 out of 24 county 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?

2.0/214 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
1.12

Has the council supported local community renewable energy creation?

1.0/113 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
Transport

Penalty marks

Essex County Council incurred a penalty of 5% in this section
21%
5 = Total score (6.25) − Penalty points (-1.25)
0/12 out of 24 county 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?

3.0/61 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.3

Does the council have enforced school streets across its area?

0/20 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.4

Is the council committed to making 20mph the standard speed limit for most restricted roads?

0/13 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.5a

Has the council introduced a Clean Air Zone or Low-Emission Zone?

0/11 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.5b

Does the council's Clean Air Zone or Low Emission Zone require charges for private vehicles?

0/11 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.6

Has the council taken clear steps to support active travel?

2.0/40 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.7

Does the council have controlled parking zones across all the residential areas of the local authority?

1.0/20 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.8a

Are there any low emission buses used within the council's area?

1.0/111 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.8b

Is bus ridership within the council's area high?

0/20 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
2.9

Does the council have a workplace parking levy?

0/10 out of 24 county 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 24 county 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.

-1.25/06 out of 24 county councils got no penalty marks for this question.
Planning & Land Use0%
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?

0/50 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
3.11

Has the Council approved a planning application for a carbon intensive energy system to be built or expanded from 2019?

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

0/016 out of 24 county councils got no penalty marks for this question.
Governance & Finance28%
4.1a

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

0/113 out of 24 county 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?

0/18 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.2

Has the council published a climate change risk register?

0/17 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.3a

Is the council reporting on its own greenhouse gas emissions?

0/111 out of 24 county 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?

0/34 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.4

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

1.0/30 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/23 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.6

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

1.0/32 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/121 out of 24 county 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?

2.0/30 out of 24 county 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?

0/10 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.10a

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

0/14 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.10b

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

0/11 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
4.10c

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

1.0/121 out of 24 county 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?

0/21 out of 24 county 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 24 county 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.

0/021 out of 24 county councils got no penalty marks for this question.
Biodiversity38%
5.1

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

0/12 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
5.2

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

0/10 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
5.3

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

1.0/118 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
5.4

Are two thirds of the local wildlife sites in the council's area in positive conservation management?

0/11 out of 24 county 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?

0/14 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
5.6

Does the council turn off or dim their street light network to reduce light pollution?

1.0/118 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
5.7

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

2.0/24 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
Collaboration & Engagement79%
6.1

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

1.0/117 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
6.2a

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

1.0/119 out of 24 county 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?

3.0/39 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
6.3

Has the council lobbied the government for climate action?

1.0/112 out of 24 county 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?

2.0/219 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/22 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/26 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/114 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
6.7

Is the council working in partnership with health services on active travel, home insulation, air pollution, green spaces or other climate action policies?

1.0/116 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/113 out of 24 county 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?

1.0/119 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
6.10

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

1.0/119 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
6.11

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

0/11 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
Waste Reduction & Food25%
7.1a

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

1.0/19 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.2

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

1.0/19 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.3

Does the council support initiatives to redistribute surplus food?

0/113 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.4a

Does the council have a sustainable food strategy?

0/13 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.4b

Is the council part of a sustainable food partnership?

0/17 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.5

Has the council taken steps to support local food growing?

1.0/19 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.6

Do schools in the council area serve less meat in school meals?

0/15 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.8

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

0/30 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
7.9

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

0/20 out of 24 county councils got full marks for this question.
Total score43%
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