Big differences in how Welsh councils are dealing with climate change revealed in report

Wales Online

14-07-2025

Big differences in how Welsh councils are dealing with climate change revealed in report
Some are making big strides towards a net zero future, says the report, while others less so
Energy-saving homes under construction in Swansea
(Image: South Wales Evening Post )
A new report has revealed stark differences in how Welsh councils are responding to the issue of climate change, with some making significant strides toward net zero, and others falling behind.
The findings come from the Council Climate Action Scorecards 2025, which analysed every local authority in Wales between July, 2024, and March, 2025.
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Councils were assessed across a wide range of climate-related categories, including buildings and heating, transport, planning and land use, biodiversity, governance, and finance. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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Swansea Council emerged as the best-performing authority in Wales, with a score of 48%. It was praised for its work on energy-efficient housing and investment in renewable technologies.
Its 'Homes as Power Stations' programme, which uses solar panels, heat pumps, and battery storage to cut household emissions, was highlighted as an example of real-world progress.
Monmouthshire County Council came a close second with a score of 46%, with its best-performing category being waste reduction and food, scoring an impressive 93%.
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The report is the work of Climate Emergency UK, an independent not-for-profit group that monitors and assesses how councils are acting on their climate promises.
The organisation was set up to push for greater transparency and accountability in local climate action, using over 90 questions to evaluate how councils were progressing on cutting emissions, implementing sustainable transport, retrofitting homes, and involving local communities in the climate conversation.
The capital city, Cardiff, scored an overall 42%, with its strongest-performing category also being waste reduction, at 72%.
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Cardiff Council is actively working towards becoming a net-zero city by 2030, focusing on reducing carbon emissions from both its operations and the wider city.
The council's 'One Planet Cardiff' strategy, launched in 2020, outlines a vision for a carbon-neutral future and includes specific targets for the council to achieve carbon neutrality in its activities by 2030.
At the other end of the table, Merthyr Tydfil was the worst-performing council in Wales, scoring just 23%.
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The report found limited evidence of serious climate action across most categories, with major gaps in transport, housing retrofit, and public involvement.
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council was the second-lowest performer, with an overall score of 29%.
Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot both received a score of just 5% in the transport category — the lowest in Wales.
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The report said this reflected limited publicly available information on current strategies to reduce transport emissions.
It added that this might be due to a focus on other priority areas or the early stages of planning for longer-term transport improvements.
While both councils had made progress in certain aspects of their climate work, the low score suggested that further development in active travel infrastructure, public transport planning, and low-emission transport initiatives could help strengthen their overall approach in future assessments, said the report.
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Wales as a whole averaged 36% across all councils, slightly lower than the average scores in England and Scotland.
The report concluded that while a few councils were showing leadership, many were still struggling to turn their climate declarations into meaningful progress.
Climate Emergency UK said stronger government support, clearer targets, and increased public pressure were all needed if councils were to meet their commitments and help Wales transition to a greener future.
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