Rother District Council has been named the most improved district council in the country for its efforts to tackle climate change.
Climate Emergency UK assesses all councils on the actions they have taken towards net zero, looking at areas ranging from governance and planning to waste and buildings.
In 2023, the council was rated 50th out of 51 district councils with a score of 19 per cent. The latest scorecard rates Rother 9th with a score of 50 per cent.
Cllr Kathryn Field, portfolio holder for environment, licensing and climate strategy, said: “A huge amount of work has gone into addressing the climate emergency and supporting our ambitious target to become a net zero district by 2030, and this latest scorecard is testament to our efforts.
“Although we still have work to do, the actions we have taken and continue to take are making a significant difference to our carbon footprint and I am proud of the improvement we have made on our Climate Action Scorecard in just two years.”
Actions taken by the council which contributed to its score include;
- Including net zero targets in medium term financial plans
- Recording and reducing the organisation’s emissions
- Ringfencing a proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy for projects that address climate change or environmental issues
- Introducing a tool to ensure every committee decision considers carbon emissions and environmental impacts
- Including the net zero target as a key focus of the Council Plan
The district council scored particularly well in the Governance and Finance section with a score of 62 per cent – the average district councils score was 31 per cent. Only one district council achieved a higher score in this area.
Cllr Field added: “As well as celebrating our achievements, the scorecard enables us to identify areas whether further work can be done. We will not rest on our laurels and will continue to find ways to reduce the council’s carbon footprint and encourage residents to take positive action to address climate change.”
The full scorecard can be viewed at Council Climate Action Scorecards | Climate Emergency UK
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Published: 2nd July 2025
