Draft business plan and budget proposals that would see continued investment in Net Zero and reviewing how the county manages waste disposal, were scrutinised and supported by a majority of the Environment and Green Investment committee members – who today (Thursday, 16 January) put forward their views for consideration by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee on 28 January.
The Environment and Green Investment committee has a significant role in ensuring ‘net zero carbon emissions for Cambridgeshire by 2045, and our communities and natural environment are supported to adapt and thrive as the climate changes’, as part of our Strategic Framework and the council’s approach for achieving the vision of a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire. This is why, the council plans to prioritise:
- Reviewing our waste service to ensure the best value for money for residents whilst also improving the long-term environmental performance of our waste disposal arrangements and the potential to make savings from 2026 onwards
- The council will continue its journey to achieve its net zero targets and respond to climate change through investment in decarbonisation, enhancing the natural environment and improving water management.
Other proposals include:
- Support local communities to develop local green energy generation projects by working with local groups to implement schemes through the Community Energy Action Plan
- Deliver significant upgrades in the county’s electric vehicles charging infrastructure over the coming three years.
At its meeting in December, members of the Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee began debating the draft business plan and budget. This plan has now been scrutinised by the Environment and Green Investment committee. The feedback from all the council’s January policy and service committees, as well as feedback from our online public consultation (Business Plan and Budget 2025-26 Consultation Survey | Cambridgeshire County Council) and the views of Town and Parish Councils, other local and public authorities, business representatives and trade unions will be debated again by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee when it meets in January. This committee will then put forward the final draft business plan and budget for debate and decision at the Full Council meeting on 11 February.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s 2025/26 business plan and budget will identify where to spend more than £1billion to deliver services and support for residents and communities across the county. Rising demand for these services, along with the increased costs and changes from government, continues to impact the council’s available funding. For 2025/26 we have a budget gap of £34.2 million that we need to address. That means we must also continue to make difficult choices about levels of council tax and where we can generate additional income, as well as where we invest and where we make savings.
Cllr Lorna Dupre, Chair of the Environment and Green Investment Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Our priorities as a council are to ensure a greener, fairer, and more caring Cambridgeshire. We’re aiming to do that, despite the challenging financial circumstances we are facing as a county.
“To date, we have enabled the council to reduce its direct carbon emissions by 42% and developed several major energy projects that will not only provide income during the business planning period but also provide renewable energy sources for the council and some of our communities.
“We’ll also be reviewing our waste service. Each year, we dispose of around 320,000 tonnes of household waste, which costs £50 million per year – we need to ensure we get the best value for money for our residents.
“Although we do not receive sufficient funding from Government to meet the needs of the growing population in Cambridgeshire, we are committed to ensuring the council delivers value for money in the services it provides. That is why the majority of this committee supports the proposals today.”
The views of all policy and service committees, and the views of residents, partners and business representatives, will be put before the Strategy, Resources & Performance Committee on 28 January so it can make a final recommendation on the business plan and budget to Full Council, which meets to debate and agree this plan on 11 February.
For more information on the council’s proposals for the coming year visit - County Council to spend more than £1billion across Cambridgeshire in the coming year | Cambridgeshire County Council
