Bedford Borough Council’s latest greenhouse gas report shows its official carbon footprint has risen for the first time in six years – not because of higher energy use, but because leisure centres were brought back under direct council control.
A report presented to last night’s Climate Change Committee (Monday, 22 September) explained the rise was due to a technical change in how emissions are counted.
In climate reporting, Scope 1 covers direct emissions from things the council owns, such as gas boilers and vehicles.
Scope 2 refers to emissions from purchased electricity, while Scope 3 encompasses broader indirect sources, including outsourced services and employee travel.
The change means that swimming pools and gyms, which were previously classified as outsourced (Scope 3) and are significant energy users, now fully count towards the council’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Claire Wilkinson, the council’s energy and water officer, said: “Previously when [leisure] was under Fusion we reported it under Scope 3 because we weren’t responsible for paying for the electricity and gas bills.”
As a result, overall emissions for 2024/25 are recorded as 6 per cent higher than the 2018/19 baseline, with leisure sites making up almost a third of building-related emissions.
Downward trend continues
Without them, the council says emissions from its estate would have fallen by 21 per cent, continuing the downward trend since it declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030.
At the same time, the report highlights progress in reducing emissions elsewhere, from solar energy projects at the Queen Street car park and Kempston Swimming Pool, to the conversion of Brookside Care Home from oil heating to air-source pumps and solar, which has reduced emissions by 69 tonnes of CO₂.
Read: Lurke Street battery storage installation approved despite fire safety concerns
The council’s fleet is also becoming greener, with 19 electric vehicles now in use, and all diesel sweepers have been replaced with electric models.
The report stated that transport emissions are now 9 per cent lower than in 2018/19; however, members heard that a trial of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel had been paused due to technical issues.
Future closures of Oasis Beach Pool, Blue and White Peris, and changes at Kempston Outdoor Centre are expected to bring the headline figure down again in the coming years.
- Read: Breaking news: Oasis leisure pool earmarked for permanent closure
- Read: Council ends 50 year lease on Blue and White Peris outdoor education centre
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
