It is reported that some local councils, including Oxfordshire, are still using lots of power in spite of claiming to be eco-friendly, according to a report in The Times of 29 January. The report is said to be based on data on public sector power usage obtained by energy consultancy Box Power by means of freedom of information requests.
Oxfordshire council is singled out among councils outside the London area with high power use. OCC says that it is "leading the way" by aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. However for the year up to March 2023 it burnt through 66% more gas than Buckinghamshire which is following the national target of reaching net zero by 2050.
Oxfordshire and the two London councils identified as high consumers (Southwark and Hackney) say it is not fair to compare figures for councils as they vary according to what services they provide. The Times reports: "Oxfordshire council said that its fire and rescue service was included in the figures although this was by itself unlikely by itself to account for the higher than average usage. It added that it also bought power for schools and for other district authorities so the data was like comparing 'apples and pears' ".
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