Reform UK councillor disputes value of climate change inspired energy savings

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

The amount of money saved by schools due to climate change inspired energy savings has been disputed by a Reform UK councillor.

David Thomas, who leads the party’s group on Torfaen Borough Council, said savings weren’t enough to pay for a teacher as the council’s cabinet member for climate change had claimed.

Labour’s Sue Morgan stood by the figures when challenged by Cllr Thomas at the council’s December meeting as she said energy costs for schools had been reduced resulting in the saving in the delegated budgets which are managed by schools themselves.

Cllr Thomas had asked how the council tracks and verifies the financial impacts of its climate change emergency programme which has inspired an energy saving drive across the council and investment in technology such as solar panels.

The Llantarnam councillor also asked whether energy savings attributed to schools are recorded as “actual budget adjustments within those schools’ delegated budgets” and how the council verifies the savings before they are publicly reported.

School energy consumption is based on utility meter and billing information and installations such as solar panels are considered in forecast costs, provided to council finance officers, said Cllr Morgan who said there is no budget adjustment required as schools manage their own budgets independently.

She also said as energy use and savings are based on meter readings, owned by energy firms rather than the council, “no third-party verification is required” and savings calculated on a 12 month period post implementation as is standard across local authorities.

Schools that have taken government-backed loans to pay for equipment such as solar panels also retain the ongoing benefits once repayments have been made, said Cllr Morgan.

She was reminded by Cllr Thomas at the council’s March meeting, in response to his question on climate change targets told, she had said money saved was “giving schools the choice to retain staff”.

Council data

Torfaen has spent £8.3 million on the climate emergency, said Cllr Thomas who said council data for 2023/24 showed total savings across 40 schools amounted £343,456 which he said worked out at £8,587 a school, with five having recorded an increase in energy use.

“Savings of £8,587 is nowhere near enough to fund a part time support post,” said Cllr Thomas who asked what evidence supported Clllr Morgan’s claim schools were given the chance to retain staff.

But Cllr Morgan, who represents Pontnewydd, said Cllr Thomas was “comparing apples and pears” and reduced energy bills had given schools freedom to make decisions within the budgets which they manage themselves.