Ashfield District Council has revealed its plan to become a net-zero organisation by 2030 and to ensure all emissions in its investments and external links are reduced within 30 years.

Members of the Ashfield Independent-led cabinet will review the plans at a meeting next week (June 21), with two separate documents outlining how the authority will improve on its climate ratings.

It follows the council being graded zero per cent for its climate action plans earlier this year, with environmental organisation Climate Emergency UK issuing scathing gradings of its response to the crisis.

The council said at the time the grading came when it was drawing up new climate plans to address rising global temperatures.

And now the authority has published its plans for the first time.

Documents due before the cabinet meeting confirm all council-controlled and indirect services will be made carbon-neutral by the end of this decade.

Measures include looking into electric and hydrogen vehicles in the council's fleet, promoting low-carbon business travel like cycle-to-work schemes and car-sharing and investing in walking and cycling schemes.

The council also commits to ensuring existing and new social homes are as energy-efficient as possible and supporting homeowners with decarbonisation and retrofit schemes.

It plans to find energy-efficient heating systems for all council-owned buildings, reduce the volume of waste produced across the district, eliminate food waste going to landfills and promote recycling schemes.

But for the authority's target for external emissions – including its investments, purchased goods and services and capital goods – the authority is also aiming to "significantly reduce" emissions by 2050.

This, the authority says, will require "significant and rapid change" within the supply chains to allow the council different purchasing and investment options to meet carbon-neutral targets.

Changes will include analysis of current investment emissions and research into potential low-carbon investments in the future.

And the authority will look at directly financing projects to reduce greenhouse gases.

Councillor Dave Hennigan (Ind), cabinet member for climate action strategy, will bring the reports before the meeting next week.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The council takes its responsibilities to do its bit to fight climate change seriously.

"We will step up our influence with partners and this will be a key part of our procurement process and much more.

"Our strategy will be published on our website and is a work in progress as we do our bit to combat climate change. We are a green council and this strategy will make us even greener."

He adds the authority has been taking actions over the past four years to reduce emissions in the district.

This includes purchasing 100 per cent renewable electricity and securing more than £5 million in Government funding streams to reduce emissions since 2020.

But council papers add emissions need to be reduced significantly further year-on-year until 2050 to prevent the maximum amount of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere.

It is hoped taking these measures will support international measures to prevent a global temperature rise of as much as 2C.

Figures show the majority of carbon emitted in the district comes from domestic properties, or 41 per cent, with one-third of emissions coming from industry and commercial sectors.

The remaining 26 per cent comes from transport across the district.

However, research by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change suggests the Ashfield area could emit its maximum amount of carbon into the atmosphere by 2028 if current emission levels continue on a "historic trend".

In order to reach its targets, the council says its carbon reduction rates must be about 14 per cent per year between now and 2050.