Public sector budgets have been under pressure for over a decade following the imposed austerity of post-credit crunch Britain. From navigating the acute challenges of delivering statutory services like social care to tackling chronic – and increasingly pressing – issues like decarbonisation, local authorities are faced with tough decisions to make, amid a landscape of tightened purse strings and heightened public scrutiny.

But climate change remains one of the biggest challenges of our time and must remain top of the agenda. The government has put targets in place to ensure we all work toward delivering net zero and many local authorities have declared a climate emergency. With public sector buildings alone generating around 2% of the UK’s total emissions, looking at how we create and operate the places in which we live, work, and play must be a priority. And with Scottish local authority buildings required to be using clean heating systems by the end of 2038, it will be the responsibility of those of us ‘on the ground’ to help deliver on this.