One in three councillors are not confident their council can meet net zero targets, a new poll has found.
The research for Icebreaker One revealed a ‘data black hole’ is threatening how well councils can respond to the climate and economic crises.
Of those surveyed, 38% of councillors said they do not have sufficient information to make informed decisions to reach net zero emissions, while 43% are not confident they have sufficient information to make informed decisions on their local COVID-19 economic recovery.
The survey also found that nearly half of councils rely on private sector data to inform decisions around achieving net zero.
Gavin Starks, founder and CEO of Icebreaker One, said: ‘We need to kick-start the post-COVID-19 economy, but net zero targets can’t get trampled in the rush to rebuild. Giving councils access to the right data means they can gain insights to do both.
’We’ll only reach net zero and rebuild local economies after COVID-19 if councils make bold decisions that create jobs and cut emissions. Looking at these numbers, no-one would envy councillors forced to make once-in-a-generation decisions with so little useful data to hand.’
