A spending watchdog has issued a strong criticism regarding the slow progress made by public sector organisations in tackling climate change. According to Audit Wales, decarbonisation has dropped in priority for public bodies since a climate emergency was declared by the Welsh government in 2019.
Decarbonisation Lags Behind
While Audit Wales noted numerous examples of positive changes, it concluded that the collective ambition for a net zero public sector in Wales by 2030 is unlikely to be met. Estimations indicate that decarbonising Welsh council buildings alone would require at least £2.3 billion.
In its new report, the watchdog stated that while public bodies across all sectors acknowledge the importance of decarbonisation, financial and political pressures since 2022 have pushed it down the priority list. Public bodies reported that overall financial constraints make it difficult to invest in carbon reduction.
Audit Wales also criticised the Welsh government for failing to define the collective ambition for a net zero public sector by 2030 as a formal target. The report noted an absence of penalties or incentives to drive compliance, which some public bodies stated has created uncertainty regarding the priority level that should be given to carbon reduction.
Regarding financial planning, the watchdog added that public agencies have shown limited progress in understanding near-term or long-term decarbonisation costs. Where longer-term costs have been estimated, some organisations described the expenses as unaffordable.
Ann-Marie Harkin from Audit Wales said that while positive examples exist, insufficient overall progress has been achieved, emphasizing that future generations deserve a better effort.
Background and Response
The ambition for a net zero public sector by 2030 was introduced in 2017 by the then-Labour Welsh government, which argued that public bodies were uniquely placed to influence emissions in sectors such as buildings and transport. The strategy anticipated that government-backed investments in infrastructure—including electric vehicles, charge points, renewable power, and heating systems—would make low-carbon choices easier and more affordable for the general public.
The collective ambition does not mandate every individual public body to reach net zero by 2030, but rather establishes a shared direction and expectation for all public organisations to contribute toward emission reductions.
In response to the findings, a Welsh government spokesperson stated that a net zero public sector remains a priority. The spokesperson added that the administration intends to continue supporting public sector decarbonisation to lower emissions and energy bills while strengthening energy security, while acknowledging that further work is required.
The current Plaid Cymru government maintains an ambition for Wales as a whole to achieve net zero by 2040, a decade ahead of the current legally binding targets for Wales and the United Kingdom.
