2024 Public Sector Decarbonisation

Davide supports and leads Salix’s Energy and Carbon team working with the public sector to reduce carbon emissions through investment in energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation. Davide is a qualified as Environment and Civil Engineer and certified as Low Carbon Design Consultant and ESOS assessor. Prior to joining Salix, he worked oversea in Italy as sustainability engineer for 10 years to then move to Australia for further professional development and experience. He has worked in the UK for the last 7 years in two major construction companies, Bouygues and Vital Energi before joining Salix in 2020. Since then, the company successfully administered circa £2b of funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Jo is the lead project officer and champion for Net Zero at Exeter City Council.  Jo’s local government career started in social housing, then waste management, moving into contract management before specialising in energy management ten years ago. 

Jo is responsible for the delivery of the City Council’s Carbon Reduction Plan and Corporate 2030 Net Zero ambition. 

Jo has demonstrated real ambition, delivering an innovative programme of over 24 energy efficient and renewable projects and a solar estate of over 3.4MW.  Projects include the first roof top solar canopy arrays, one of the first networks of public EV Chargepoints in the Southwest, in addition to many LED and boiler replacement schemes.  The projects continue to produce substantial financial and carbon savings and demonstrate commitment, to become a lead sustainable authority, to deliver environmental excellence and reduce emissions.

Determined to embrace every opportunity and demonstrate ambition, Jo’s largest project completed in December 2023.  The £3.5m project is the first of its kind in the region and is a further step towards the Council’s 2030 Net Zero ambition.  Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the ground-mounted solar array and battery store is designed to provide green energy via a private wire direct to the Council’s Operations Depot.  The project responds to the national priority of creating improved capacity and distribution of renewable energy with an integrated smart grid and battery store.  It overcomes local grid constraints to power HGV charging for eRCVs with a net zero self-supply, enabling fleet decarbonisation.

Jo’s proven credentials include heading up PSDS projects, and developing the City Council very own Sustainability Accreditation, The Green Accord.  Jo has been responsible for the securing the Council many industry awards, and her proudest moment was meeting the now King Charles back in the Summer of 2021.  Having the opportunity to tell him how many slow worms and grass snakes were translocated during the construction of the Council’s first Solar Farm.

Jo is a member of the Mid West Energy Mangers Group and represent the City Council on the Southwest Energy and Environment Group and Devon Climate Emergency Tactical Group.   

I am an experienced Project and Programme Manager within the energy sector. My experience to date includes delivery of a large scale investment programmes in both the domestic and non-domestic energy sector to European, Government and Public sector clients.

I have considerable experience of working alongside and managing private sector organisations and am currently Programme Manager for the national RE:FIT programme, a scheme designed to help public sector organisations across the UK achieve substantial financial savings, improve the energy performance of their buildings and reduce their CO2 footprint.

As RE:FIT Project Director at Local Partnerships I am responsible for the management and rollout of the national programme in partnership with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Stephanie Parker is a Senior Advisor at the Energy Systems Catapult.  She works in the Complex Sites team helping predominantly public sector organisations deliver Net Zero.  Most recently, Stephanie’s work has focused on the Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance, a free to access suite of guidance, tools and checklists that makes it simpler and quicker for the public sector to decarbonise their buildings and estates.  Stephanie’s background is in the Civil Service, where she worked on policy and strategy across a number of departments over ten plus years.  Latterly she worked on decarbonising commercial and industrial buildings in the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, now the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Andrew Hunt is currently a Green Energy and Sustainability Manager at Oldham Council, bringing experience from previous roles at Oldham Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Council and Bury Council. Andrew Hunt holds a 1988 - 1991 BSc (Hons) III in Business Studies from the University College of Swansea. With a robust skill set that includes Strategy Development, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Awareness and more, Andrew Hunt contributes valuable insights to the industry.

Katharina Winbeck is an environmental and social scientist, specialising in developing major public initiatives. She worked in health, housing, regeneration, environmental & major projects planning and transport. For the past fifteen years she has been developing sustainability, environment, transport and infrastructure policy. She has worked for the NHS, three London Boroughs, Transport for London, the Audit Commission and now for London Councils. Katharina is passionate about London and environmental sustainability.

Wayne Bexton is the Director of Green Growth, Investment and Assets at Nottinghamshire County Council. He has worked in public sector Place leadership roles for over 20 years, specialising in delivering sustainable economic growth that aligns with environmental best practice. Wayne has previously delivered sustainability advice in the private sector.

 

Wayne has been recognised as one of the top 500 influencers on environment and climate change, and is Chair of the D2N2 Low Carbon Board as well as leading on the Environment strand of the East Midlands new devolution deal.

 

Wayne has delivered numerous high profile, high value environmental projects and programmes for the public sector across the Midlands, receiving industry recognition along the way including the National Lottery Awards Environment Category Winner, edie National Green Recovery 2021 and Local Authority of the Year 2020/2021.

 

Currently leading on Nottinghamshire’s ambitious Place agenda, with an array of significant opportunities ahead of the County including devolution, STEP Fusion, Freeport and Investment Zone.

Matt has worked in municipal engineering for most of his career. Previously Matt worked in the private sector as well as with Slough Borough, Surrey County Council and Wokingham Borough Council. At Wokingham Matt helped to develop a significant capital programme to support major residential development across the borough. Matt took up the post of Director of Highways and Transport at West Sussex County Council in 2016 and took on responsibility for Planning in 2019. He takes a particular interest in how climate change is affecting how we work and what we can do to react to the challenges it presents. 

Transportation and Innovation: CVLR Programme Delivery Manager and EV Infrastructure Programme Manager/Senior Engineer –

Shamala is a 4th-year part-time PGR within the Research Institute for Clean Growth and Future Mobility at Coventry University and is also an experienced Senior Civil Engineer and Programme/Project Manager in designing and implementing challenging, complex and wide-ranging infrastructure projects. Her experience includes (1) Innovation projects within the decarbonising transport platform, renewables, battery storage and management;  (2) Local Transport Plans, including Network Efficiency projects and Waste Management projects; (3) Traffic Management, including traffic-calming measures; (4) General roadworks, including road geometry; and (5) Regeneration, public realm, and urban environment projects.

Louise Cowan is a Director within Local Partnership’s climate business unit. She specialises in waste and recycling policy, providing support to the Welsh Government and local authorities. Louise has worked in the waste, resources and circular economy sectors since 2005 and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM), Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), and a Chartered Environmentalist.

Waltham Forest have set a 2030 borough wide Net Zero target. Luke's job is to make this ambitious target a reality. This covers everything from electric vehicles to food waste, but he has focused on decarbonising homes, including by: launching zero-interest “Energy Upgrade” loans to residents and landlords; redesigning local planning policy to enable, not hinder, household retrofit; and creating an in-house retrofit company.

Andrew Hunt is currently a Green Energy and Sustainability Manager at Oldham Council, bringing experience from previous roles at Oldham Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Council and Bury Council. Andrew Hunt holds a 1988 - 1991 BSc (Hons) III in Business Studies from the University College of Swansea. With a robust skill set that includes Strategy Development, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Awareness and more, Andrew Hunt contributes valuable insights to the industry.

George Potter is a Liberal Democrat borough councillor in Guildford where he’s the portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change, as well as being a county councillor. He also works as a Lead Software Developer at the Intellectual Property Office, and has nine years of experience across the private and public sector in the software industry, though his educational background is in electronics and satellite engineering. He was first elected as a councillor in 2019

Bret is Head of Climate Change & Sustainability for the City of Coventry. He is responsible for strategic oversight of all energy and environmental programmes across the City as a Council and also Citywide for an independent Sustainability & Climate Change Board in partnership with other public, private and third sector partners and stakeholders. Much of this work includes a number of major energy transformation initiatives the Innovate UK funded Regional Energy Systems Operator (RESO) in Coventry. He also oversees two professional environmental consultancies (Business Sustain and the Green Business Programme) which support SME’s and large companies with advice support and guidance for energy and environmental management, health and safety and compliance with standards (e.g. ISO4 0001) and legislation.

A former Director in Birmingham City Council and CEO of Sunderland’s New Deal for Communities Regeneration Programme with over twenty years senior management experience in local Government and the Charitable sector (Henry Doubleday Research Association and Soil Association) with a particular focus on addressing environmental and sustainable development issues. Bret led the development of the City of Cardiff’s first Environmental Strategy with achievements that earned the City the status of first ‘Energy City’ (with Newcastle) and ‘Recycling City’ (with Sheffield) and winning an International Council Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) award during the Rio Earth Summit. Coventry, a CDP ‘A’ Rated city, is committed to delivering a zero carbon agenda cutting across all areas of its business activities covering transport as well as buildings and infrastructure and in addition to the RESO Project it has a number of joint ventures delivering energy infrastructure across the City.

A Graduate ecologist from University College Cardiff and Chartered Biologist and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Entomological society with a history of addressing environmental and public health issues. Bret represented Welsh interests on the Environment, Energy and Regional Development policy at the Wales European Centre in Brussels and represented Eurocities in the EU’s Urban Environment Expert Group assisting in the drafting of the Aalborg Charter and the European Strategy for Sustainable Cities and Towns as well as representing local government interests during the development of the UN’s Habitat II Global Strategy and Programme for Sustainable Human Settlements in the New York PrepComm meetings and the Summit in Istanbul.

As Director of Place at Local Partnerships, Michael leads housing and sustainability projects with local authorities and Government departments. He led the production of the Local Authority Domestic Retrofit Handbook for BEIS and is currently supporting Welsh Government to launch the new Warm Homes Wales domestic retrofit programme and its alignment with Welsh Local Authority energy efficiency schemes. As Assistant Director of Environment for GMCA, Michael led domestic retrofit and energy advice programmes across Greater Manchester from 2010 to 2015. He is also a NED Board Member for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, where he takes a Board lead on retrofit and net zero issues.

Guy Woodroffe has a background in strategy and policy, with experience of delivering policy, research and development and innovation across a number of sectors including transport, defence and now social housing. Guy is currently Head of Policy for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.  Guy joined the Department three years ago, having held roles in innovation in the Ministry of Defence, and been responsible for developing strategy and programme delivery for research, development and innovation across the rail industry in the UK.

I was elected for the first time to Newark and Sherwood DC only last year – so, 50+ years of environmental activism leading to “overnight success”  in May 2023! NSDC was previously a Conservative council with 29 of the 39 councillors being from that party. They lost 15 seats, so NSDC went into “No Overall Control”

 

A Partnership administration was formed from 11 Labour, 7 `Independents from Newark` group and three Lib Dems. As the Chair of the Green Liberal Democrats, the party`s national environmental conscience, I acquired the Climate Change and Net Zero portfolio as our single Lib Dem Cabinet member – so, from citizen to cabinet member in a few short weeks! We have a very positive and stable partnership administration and this is allowing us to make rapid progress certainly on the environmental front.