Our Action Plan for a sustainable borough
Join us on our journey to become one of London’s most sustainable boroughs.
Our commitments to sustainability
We have developed a sustainability action plan that delivers on our ambitions to:
- Become one of London’s most sustainable boroughs.
- Reduce carbon emissions across Barnet.
- Work in partnership with residents, communities and businesses in achieving our goals.
We are focusing on nine key themes, each with a set of objectives, to drive this change. Each one represents a crucial part of our collective efforts as an organisation and borough.
Our Guiding Principles
We’re reducing our carbon impact
We are striving to become a net zero borough by 2042 and are fostering collaboration with residents, communities and partners to advance climate and biodiversity goals.
We’re prioritising a Just Transition
We are prioritising equity, providing opportunities for all, and recognising unequal climate impacts.
We’re working in partnership
We’re delivering together, making a positive impact for residents and our community.
We’re embedding climate adaptation
We are incorporating climate adaptation across Council services to ensure Barnet’s preparedness to future climate challenges.
We’re being financially sustainable and responsible
We are making realistic, responsible decisions, seeking innovative funding, and using data-driven approaches for continuous improvement.
Our Themes and Objectives
In this theme we are committed to
- Keeping the community engaged through BarNET Zero; providing support, sharing guidance and highlighting community case studies.
- Exploring innovation through academic research, and through partnerships and collaboration with others across the sector and beyond.
- Continuing to collaborate with schools, faith groups and community leaders, as we continue our long-term commitment to embed sustainability and support the community.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Providing clear and impartial information to residents on how to reduce energy use and emissions in their home, and signpost to available grants and funding opportunities.
- Launching a neighbourhood pilot programme that makes homes and places more sustainable and resilient through delivery of the Warm Homes Programme, supporting those at risk of fuel poverty who are struggling to manage high energy cost.
- Supporting our housing and infrastructure development schemes to be as sustainable as possible, including by embedding high sustainability standards across our planning policies and processes.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Laying the foundations for Barnet’s green future, by exploring opportunity areas for clean energy within our system, including through Local Area Energy Planning and assessing feasibility for district heat networks.
- Working with residents, communities and businesses, to increase uptake of solar panels across the borough.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Encouraging active travel (walking / wheeling and cycling), so they are transport methods of choice.
- Ensuring Barnet’s public transport network (buses, underground / mainline rail and interchanges) meets the needs of residents and visitors travelling to and across the borough.
- Boosting the adoption and use of ultra-low emission vehicles.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Establishing an adaptation framework with partners to guide action across the borough.
- Improving water and flood risk management, through policies and infrastructure such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes (SuDS).
- Enabling and working with the community to undertake engagement and coordinate a response to Extreme Heat.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Improving biodiversity across the borough; replacing the biodiversity which may be lost through construction and by prioritising green spaces in new developments.
- Continuing to manage our green spaces in a more carbon-conscious way; mowing less, trialling environmental cuts, and always using peat free compost.
- Planting 900 trees and expanding canopy cover across the borough.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Teaching green skills to residents in partnership with local employers to help put people straight into work.
- Providing sustainability support to local businesses in Barnet, that helps them baseline and improve their carbon footprint.
- Working with charities and community initiatives to shorten supply chains and reduce waste, such as unwanted electronics and surplus food, in the borough.
In this theme we are committed to:
- Prioritising reducing food waste, by collecting separate organic waste from every household across the borough, supporting local community food growing projects and delivering community food leader training.
- Reducing the quantity of waste produced by commercial business, by encouraging and supporting businesses to recycle.
- Educating and supporting residents on good recycling practice through continued communications campaigns.
In this theme we are committed to supporting our internal teams and suppliers by:
- Educating all council employees about the council’s wider sustainability objectives through training modules and other communication methods.
- Reducing our own impact on Barnet’s changing environment by decarbonising our buildings, fleet and operations, including by transitioning towards green electricity.
- Working within our sphere of influence to encourage our partners and supply chain to become more sustainable. This includes working with Barnet Homes to retrofit council homes to EPC-C by 2030.
- Enabling strong governance, carbon reporting, and embedding emissions reduction and local adaptation into existing decision making and reporting.