Decision details

To consider a report of the Leader of the Council seeking approval to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors and its commitment to meet and exceed the EU 20% CO2 reduction objective through increased energy efficiency and development of renewable energy sources. 

The Covenant of Mayors is a voluntary initiative involving local authorities from across Europe to formally commit to reduce their CO2 emissions beyond EU 20% targets.  The initiative has now been signed by over 4000 cities throughout Europe.  This report represents an outline of the commitments within the Covenant against Southampton’s current and planned activity. 

To approve the signing of the Covenant of Mayors adhesion form, as set out in Appendix 2, for submission to the European Commission, as a commitment to meeting and exceeding the EU 20% CO₂ reduction target.

1.  Participating in the Covenant of Mayors initiative would allow Southampton the opportunity to exchange information with key European cities and further highlight the City’s commitment to tackling climate change on the international stage.

2.  Through participation in the Leadership in Energy Action and Planning (LEAP) project, the development of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan for Southampton is well underway, making it an appropriate time to join the Covenant of Mayors.

To proceed without the development of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan and without signing-up to the Covenant of Mayors. This would result in a missed opportunity to improve performance through access to a network of signatory cities and no clear route-map supplementing the clear targets and established management framework already in place through the Low Carbon City Strategy.