Issue - meetings

Purpose of the report

The draft Green Fleet Strategy 2025-2028 had been designed as an enabling strategy to transform the way SKDC considered the environmental impact of its fleet of vehicles. The ‘Strategy’ had been designed to enable a flexible approach to the way the Council procured and operated its operational fleet.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the Green Fleet Strategy 2025-2028.

Alternative options considered and rejected

To omit the ‘green’ element and pursue a strategy without the focus on environmental improvements – this option would contradict the Council’s commitment to improving the environmental impact of its operations and therefore was discounted.

Only to use alternative fuels without the focus on electric vehicles – the Council had a limited number of electric charging points, and the vehicles were expensive to purchase. Electric vehicles provided an excellent, environmentally friendly alternative to diesel vehicles and therefore they had been included to the level allowed by infrastructure constraints.

Reasons for the decision

The Strategy had been recommended by the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held in December 2024 and provided a framework to operate within. The Strategy had also been discussed by the Budget Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14 January 2025.

The Strategy set out the Council’s ambitions for reducing fleet emissions and how these would be achieved. The new document provided essential support to the Council’s environmental commitments.

It was noted that the age of a vehicle was not an accurate indicator of its health, as other factors such as mileage and maintenance were equally important.