£140bn to get public services to net zero

Research by Unison has said that getting the UK’s public services across the net zero line will require £140 billion of government funding by 2035.

The union says that, if the government’s 2050 target is to be met, the UK’s hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, care homes, town halls, leisure centres, police stations, courts, social housing, and water, transport and environmental services all need to be part of the plan.

Unison’s report warns that, in the absence of a significant capital injection of funds, public services would only be able to move slowly towards net zero, taking resources from already stretched budgets, with disastrous consequences.

Measures like making all public buildings energy efficient, installing roof top solar panels, the introduction of electric vehicle fleets and LED streetlighting could create almost a quarter of a million new jobs.

According to the report, public services currently account for about eight per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, with the NHS about four per cent of that. The NHS aims to reach net zero by 2040, and more than a third of councils have committed to get to that point by 2030.

Of all the public services examined in the report, local government requires the most up-front investment, to the tune of some £68 billion, mainly because councils are responsible for making buildings energy efficient, introducing a comprehensive cycling infrastructure and greening waste collection and processing.

Christina McAnea, UNISON general secretary, said: “The cost of moving across to greener public services won’t come cheap, but there’s not a moment to lose. The sooner a start can be made, the quicker emissions will begin to come down and public service bills reduce. But the pace of green change needs to increase and significantly too.

“Private investment won’t provide the solution either. This would mean delay and increased taxes for those least able to pay. The government must borrow now to help public services over the green line. Otherwise, the cost of transitioning will be anything but just.”