Bolton Climate Change Strategy Annual Report 2024-2025

Introduction

The Bolton Climate Change Strategy sets out how the Bolton Vision Partnership will work together to act on climate change. By working together with those who live, work and study in Bolton we can help to create a cleaner, greener and healthier borough.

This third annual report covers April 2024 to March 2025 and provides an overview of progress, as well as setting out our priorities for the year ahead.

Some highlights of our progress in 2024-2025 include:

• £336,000 was awarded by Bolton’s Fund for cleaner and greener projects
• 3,556 small trees and 193 large trees were planted in Bolton
• 58,875 tonnes of greenhouse gases were saved by Bolton businesses
• 120 people attended the community eco day at St Catherine’s Church in Horwich
• 310 grams of food waste were saved per week on average by households taking part in the Bolton Food Waste Study
• 193 solid wall properties are being fitted with external wall insulation, loft Insulation, new windows and doors by Bolton at Home
• £150 million was invested by United Utilities in four sites in Bolton to help improve the water quality of the River Irwell and its tributaries.
   

Bolton’s carbon emissions

How we measure emissions

Carbon emissions for Bolton include all homes, businesses and journeys in the borough, as well as emissions that are within the control of the council from our own buildings, vehicles and what we buy.

Figures for Bolton’s carbon emissions are produced nationally by the government’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

There is a delay in publishing these datasets, which means the latest information is three years behind. This is why the latest up-to-date figures are for 2023.
 

What the data is showing us

In 2023, the borough of Bolton produced greenhouse gases equivalent to 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2e).

This is made up of:

• 41 per cent from transport
• 30 per cent from housing
• 19 per cent from industrial and commercial activities
• 4 per cent from waste
• 4 per cent from the public sector
• 2 per cent from agriculture

Since 2019, the data shows an average reduction of 18 per cent in the borough’s emissions, from 1.3 million tonnes in 2019 to 1.1 million tonnes of in 2023.

Transport emissions have reduced by 16 per cent, domestic emissions by 19 per cent, industry emissions by 23 per cent, commercial emissions by 11 per cent, waste emissions by 41 per cent, and public sector emissions by 12 per cent.

The data shows that Bolton’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are transport and the energy used in homes. These areas will continue to be important areas of focus.

Reducing carbon emissions from buildings by increasing energy efficiency and through switching to low carbon heating system will be key if we are to meet our targets.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the borough will require carbon reductions from industry, businesses, the public sector and individuals.
 

Bolton heat network

A heat network is a distribution system of insulated pipes that takes heat from a central source and delivers it to a variety of different buildings.

This avoids the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building. Heat networks can use larger scale renewable and recovered heat sources that otherwise cannot be used, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

In 2023, the council was awarded of £11 million from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Green Heat Network Fund to commercialise and construct a Bolton town centre heat network, using heat from the sewers running below the town centre.

This town centre network is forecast to deliver savings equivalent to 92,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the 40-year lifetime of the project.

This project has the potential to connect more buildings to a wider heat network zone, which is forecast to deliver 1,113,000 tonnes of CO2 savings that equate to 259,613 petrol vehicles (or 6,400 per year) or planting 1,840,346 trees.
 

Bolton Council’s greenhouse gas emissions

Our headline target is to make the council’s operations net zero carbon by 2030.

In the 2024/2025 financial year the council produced greenhouses gasses equivalent to 17,526 tonnes of carbon dioxide through its own operations.

This includes emissions from gas and electricity used in heating and lighting including schools and streetlighting, fuel used in operating the council’s fleet of vehicles, waste produced and water used in council buildings.

How we measure the council’s emissions

Emissions are sorted into three groups, which we call scopes. These are:

• Scope one, which covers direct emissions from things we own or control
• Scope two, which covers indirect emissions from energy that we have bought
• Scope three, which includes all other emissions that occur in making all the things we buy

The council’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 38 per cent since 2019, from 28,335 tonnes in 2019-2020 to 17,526 tonnes in 2024-2025. (The 2022/2023 Climate Change Annual report included the figure 30,710 tonnes of CO2e for 2019, which was incorrect).

While we are happy to see these reductions, the scale of the challenge means that we need to start to see much greater cuts to emissions.

Chart three shows an indicative pathway for the council to get to net zero by 2030. The black line indicates the reductions based on the past few years and the blue line is the reductions we need to make to meet our target.

Governance and climate leadership

Progress

We continued to support Fairtrade in Bolton, with the mayor hosting another successful Fairtrade coffee morning in the mayor’s parlour as part of the annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign.

In March 2025, St Catherine’s Church in Horwich held a hugely successful eco festival. A range of stalls were operated by students from St Catherine’s School, Horwich Parish School and 11 local voluntary groups and businesses.

They highlighted innovative ideas and practical solutions to environmental challenges, offering everything from how to reduce food waste, tips on repair and reuse from the Horwich Repair Café and information and support on all things to do with climate change from Bolton Climate Café.

Ninety-three per cent of actions in Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s first Green Plan have been progressed.

Bolton’s Fund awarded over £336,000 for cleaner and greener projects in Bolton.
 

Priorities for next year

• Bolton NHS Foundation Trust will launch its second Green Plan.
• We will continue to support staff across the Vision Partnership to make green choices at work and at home.
• We will continue to promote environmental awareness days and events, such as the Great Big Green Week and Green Libraries Week.
• We will provide training to school governors on how to make schools more sustainable.
   

Homes, communities, health and wellbeing

Progress

Homes

Bolton at Home, which provides social housing, started work to improve 193 solid wall properties with external wall insulation, loft Insulation and new windows and doors in Westhoughton.

All properties will be improved from an Energy Performance Certificate D or E to a minimum of C, delivering warm, energy-efficient homes, reducing carbon emissions and fuel bills, tackling fuel poverty and supporting green jobs.

In Bolton’s private sector and owner-occupied homes, over 300 affordable warmth and energy efficiency measures were installed between April 2024 and April 2025.

The Greater Manchester Feel the Benefit campaign provided home energy efficiency support to 1,721 Bolton residents.

Transport

There are 12 Walk One a Week (WOW) schools in Bolton, which encourage primary school children to walk, cycle, scoot or ‘park and stride’ to school.

Almost 3,400 Year Six children in Bolton primary schools have completed Bikeability training.

The council has secured £120,000 to deliver School Streets across Bolton. School Streets aim to encourage active travel by making it safer for children to walk, cycle or scoot to school.

Work was completed on the Manchester Road segregated active travel scheme connecting Bolton town centre with the Farnworth Streets for All scheme.

Work has started on the Farnworth Street for All Phase 1 scheme that will see a transformation in public realm works along the high street. The business case for Farnworth Streets for All Phase 2 has been approved.

Work has started on the Bolton Town Centre East Active Travel Scheme Phase 1, initially focusing on quiet street initiatives along Dorset Street and Bromwich Street.

Be.EV electric charging points for taxis and private hire vehicles have been installed in Eagle Street car park, Egerton Street car park and Back Willows Lane car park.
 

Priorities for the next year

Homes

• Bolton at Home will secure funding from the Greater Manchester Warm Homes Social Housing Fund to deliver an energy efficiency scheme in Tonge Moor.
• Bolton Community Homes partners including Bolton at Home will continue to implement programmes to bring all their homes up to a minimum energy performance rating of band C, making homes warm and comfortable with low running costs.
• Continue to promote energy efficiency schemes and support services including the GMCA Warm Homes Local Grant.

Transport

• Encourage more schools to become School Streets.
• The council will submit a business case to draw down £600,000 CRSTS1 funding to develop electric vehicle trials in Bolton, working with partners to trial various public charging solutions.
• Continue to work with Transport for Greater Manchester and Dromos to secure funding to deliver an innovative Autonomous Vehicle Corridor connecting Bolton town centre with the Royal Bolton Hospital.
• The council will continue liaising with Starship Robots to support a trail of autonomous robots operating on the highway network delivering groceries and other products. 
• Complete work on the Farnworth Streets for All Phase 1 scheme. Secure approval of the full business case for Phase 2 works and deliver on-site including revised junction at King Street/Market Street.
• Secure approval for the Town Centre to Doffcocker Phase 1 active travel scheme. Work is due to start in 2025.
• Complete the Phase 1 Town Centre East Active Travel Scheme.
• Secure approval of the Topp Way and Higher Bridge Street Junction active travel scheme and start works on site.
• Take the De Havilland Way and Mansell Way active travel junction improvement scheme through the full business case approval process.
• Develop the Town Centre East Phase 2; Town Centre to Doffcocker Phase 2; and Topp Way/St Georges Road junction active travel schemes through the business case approval process and start delivery on site through reprioritisation of CRSTS1 funding.
• Develop the Town Centre West active travel scheme, Farnworth Neighbourhood active travel scheme and Horwich active travel scheme to full business case approval in preparation for City Transport Funding from 2027.

Related strategies

Bolton Transport Strategy

Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040

Greater Manchester Air Quality Annual Status Report 2024

Retrofitting GM
 

Buildings, transport and operations

Progress

In 2024-2025, the Recycle4GM Community Fund awarded a total of £218,059 to 21 groups across Greater Manchester.

One of the Bolton projects that benefited from funding this year was Recycle- IT. They received funding to expand their community hub at the Market Place shopping centre to recycle more computers and provide more educational workshops on digital inclusion and sustainability.

A second Bolton project to benefit from the Recycle4GM Community Fund was Old to New Saving the Environment, where women are taught how to create durable bags from waste textiles, alongside affordable simple clothing repairs.

Bolton NHS foundation Trust was awarded £334,000 to install solar PV panels on the hospital premises.

The Green Growth Hub launched its solar calculator to support businesses to install solar PV on their premises.

Gilnow Primary School launched its Gilnow ECO Refill shop as part of the Greater Manchester wide School Eco Refill project.
 

Priorities for the next year

• Launch the Big Recycling Survey to gauge residents’ views on recycling to enable us to better shape waste services and increase our recycling rates.
• Bolton NHS FT to install approximately 300 solar panels on the Royal Bolton hospital.
• Bolton NHS FT to trial a blue-plate initiative at the Royal Bolton Hospital to help reduce food waste. Blue crockery, especially when paired with white or light-coloured food, is particularly beneficial for patients with dementia as the blue colour makes it easier to see the food on the plate, reducing confusion and promoting consumption, and ultimately reducing food waste.
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Related strategies

WRAP Simpler recycling guidance

GM Sustainable Consumption and Production Plan 2022-2025
 

Natural environment and climate change resilience

Progress

Six projects in Bolton received funding through the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund. These projects included creating a secret garden at Blackrod primary school and transforming grass verges on the edge of a busy road into a thriving green hub at Ivy Road in Smithills.

City of Trees has planted 193 large trees, 3,033 small trees and 230 metres of hedgerow in Bolton on land owned by the council, schools, housing associations and private landowners. Since 2021, over 32 hectares of trees have been planted.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) successfully completed the peatland restoration project at Red Moss in Horwich, which is part of Defra’s peatland capital grants scheme.

LWT also completed the five-year National Highways Network for nature project.

Using funding from Defra's Species Survival Fund, LWT has also been improving the wet woodland across several sites in Bolton including Burnden Clough, Darcy Lever Gravel Pits, Doffcocker Lodge and Leverhulme Park.

This project aims to create more and better-connected habitats to benefit species associated with this type of habitat, in particular the willow tit (the UK's second fastest declining breeding bird) while benefitting local people by connecting them to nature.

Sustainable drainage systems at 34 development sites were approved to reduce the risk of flooding.

Swift boxes were installed at Rumworth school and Horwich Health Centre. Swift Boxes provide safe places where swifts can nest to raise their young, helping to reverse the decline of these endangered birds.

Duck feeders have been installed by the Feed the Ducks initiative at Queens Park, Doffcocker Lodge and Moses Gate Country Park.

The duck feeders dispense bird seeds rather than bread, as bread can be dangerous to the health of ducks and also attract vermin. Each portion costs £1 and ten per cent of the proceeds are donated back to nearby communities to help fund environmental projects.

Work continued to tackle giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed in the borough, with the council’s neighbourhood services team regularly treating any outbreaks to keep these invasive species under control.

Bradshaw Brook Fly Fishing Club, with support from Bolton Green Umbrella, continued to treat Japanese knotweed in the Irwell River catchment, specifically focusing on Bradshaw Brook. In 2024, 4,861 square meters were treated. A full report on the Japanese knotweed eradication project is available.

United Utilities has completed four projects in Bolton to help improve the water quality of the River Irwell and its tributaries.
 

Priorities for next year

• City of Trees will continue to improve and enhance biodiversity to assist with local nature recovery, by planting more trees on council and privately owned land.
• Improve and enhance Bolton’s greenspaces and parks and increase the number of parks with a Green Flag award.
• Lancashire Wildlife Trust will continue to deliver nature recovery projects in the borough. Projects include:
  • Improving the wet woodland at the edge of the mossland at Red Moss to increase the amount and connectivity of wet woodland.
  • Building on the Maximising Manchester’s Mossland project and carry out habitat assessments to assess whether the white-faced darter dragonfly can be reintroduced.
  • Start work on a plan to restore the West Pennine Moors landscape through the West Pennine Moors Landscape Recovery scheme.
  • Protect 11 properties from flooding by delivering a flood prevention scheme with a total value of £100k.

Related strategies

Greater Manchester State of Nature report

Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy

All our Trees

Bolton green spaces strategy 2025-2040

Draft Greater Manchester Climate Change Risk Assessment
 

Skills for a sustainable future

Progress

Supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Bolton Green Umbrella supported a huge range of environmental projects to enhance green and blue spaces across Bolton and develop and maintain the volunteering network over two years.

The council has installed volunteer vaults in ten locations across the borough. The vaults provide secure storage to support the volunteers with litter picking and a range of other activities.

As part of the Wet Willow Wildlife Project, Lancashire Wildlife Trust has trained 35 volunteers to carry out willow tit surveys across 45 square kilometres in Bolton, and recruited over 90 volunteers to help out with habitat works and learn new skills.

In conjunction with the University of Greater Manchester, Bolton College has created an electric and hybrid vehicle workshop. It launched several courses on electric, hybrid and new technologies to upskill those working in the car industry.

Bolton College has also developed and delivered a Low Carbon Heating Apprenticeship curriculum, which is regarded as a leading standard nationally.

The college also trained engineers from Bolton at Homes in fault finding for low carbon technologies and hosted a low carbon employer event.

The Bolton Food Waste Study saw 130 households take part between October 2023 and October 2024. On average, households reduced their food waste by 310 grams.

If all the households in Bolton did the same, almost 38,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases would be removed from the atmosphere each year.
 

Priorities for next year

• Bolton Green Umbrella will continue their fantastic work in supporting environmental groups in Bolton to make Bolton a cleaner and greener place.
• Provide training to the Community Champions to enable them to become Green Community Champions.
• Bolton College will launch its five-day industry course on low carbon technologies.

 

Related strategies

Greater Manchester 5-Year Environment Plan 2025-2030
 

Employability, entrepreneurship and innovation

Progress

Greater Manchester’s Green Growth team continued to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Bolton.

• 34 businesses engaged with decarbonisation support and eight businesses engaged with greentech support
• Nine businesses registered for the Journey to Net Zero programme
• 58,875 tonnes of savings were identified through carbon reduction plans
• Three businesses accessed resource efficiency grants with a total value of £14,639.
   

Priorities for next year

• Greater Manchester’s Green Growth team will continue to provide training and support to Bolton businesses to decarbonise, become more resource efficient and make financial savings.

Related strategies

Greater Manchester 5-Year Environment Plan 2025-2030
 

Delivery plan updates

The climate change strategy includes 32 key performance indicators (KPIs) with progress monitored through a delivery plan. With the plan in its third year, changes in national and local policy mean that some of these indicators have become outdated.

The KPIs have therefore been reviewed and refreshed, in consultation with stakeholders, to align with the Greater Manchester Five-Year Environment Strategy 2025 -2030, and ensure the KPIs are the most useful indicators to monitor progress on Bolton’s climate change strategy.  
 

Appendix A: Bolton Climate Change Strategy Delivery Plan

KPI	Target	Progress	2025/26 indicator	Comment/ data source
Pillar 1: Governance and Climate Leadership
1	65% of colleagues agree that action is being taken through activities and policies to reduce environmental impact and help mitigate Climate Change	Vision Partners are continuing to train their staff in Carbon Literacy/ sustainability training and incorporate sustainability considerations into all areas of their organisations. Climate change is included in all inductions for new starters at the council.	No	The survey is not repeated annually
2	50% of the Community agree that they are seeing evidence that Bolton is acting positively to the climate emergency and that clean, green and environmental attributes of the borough are reflected.	Partners continue to promote national and local environmental awareness days and initiatives, such as Fairtrade Fortnight, Plastic Free July, Repair Week and Big Green Week.	Replace	The survey is not repeated annually. This indicator will be replaced with the amount of funding allocated to clean and green projects via Bolton’s Fund.
3	50% the Bolton Youth Voice agree that Bolton is responding proactively to the Climate Emergency	Bolton Youth Voice continue to get involved in campaigns that are of interest to them including environmental issues. Bolton Vision Partners continue to raise awareness of environmental initiatives and campaigns.	No	The survey is not repeated annually
4	25% of Bolton businesses that respond to the Green Business survey, are putting in place plans to reduce emissions and environmental impact	Green Economy and Business Bolton are continuing to support Bolton Businesses to become more energy and resource efficient through their targeted support programmes.	Replace	The survey is not repeated annually. Move to Employment and skills theme.
5	Annual Climate Change report is produced and that it has overall substantial or reasonable progress on the Climate Change Strategy delivery plan and its targets	Report is written every year and published on the council’s website	Narrative	Not recorded annually
6	Total FTE role equivalent with environmental responsibilities reported as a Vision Partnership total of at least one FTE/1000 employees.	Governance for delivering the Climate Change Strategy is well established and working well. The Climate Change Delivery team continue to work together across the vision partnership to deliver on the targets.	No	Not recorded annually
7	Pathway for zero carbon new development and new housing by 2028	Places for Everyone adopted in 2024. GMCA published Net Zero design guidance.	No	Completed. Policies for zero carbon new development are included in PfE. Net Zero design guidance
Pillar: Homes, communities and wellbeing
8	All fuel poor homes to be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2025 where affordable, practical and cost effective.	Bolton at Home have started work on site on 193 solid wall properties in Westhoughton. All properties will be improved from an Energy Performance Certificate D or E to a minimum of C.	Narrative	Move to buildings and energy theme and replace with narrative. Target to be amended to align with changes to national policy.
9	Monitor and report the health outcomes of improved living environments especially in areas of fuel poverty and deprivation.	324 households in Bolton were retrofitted through the ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) programmes administered by GMCA through the retrofit portal. Breakdown ECO4 LA flex  230 homes ECO4 non LA flex       23 homes GBIS   71 homes 1721 people were provided with energy efficiency and retrofit advice in Bolton through the LEAD project for 24/25	Combine with KPI 11	Move to buildings and energy theme and replace with KPI amount of energy efficiency installations. Data Source GMCA
10	Increase the proportion of journeys of up to 5 km made by walking or cycling	The GM Travel Diary Survey 2024 shows that driving (by car or van) accounts for 68% of all Bolton residents’ trips up to 5km in Bolton, walking 32%, public transport 6%, while cycling remains low at around less than 1%.	Yes	Move to travel and transport theme Data source GM Travel Diary Survey
11	% improvement in air quality	GM Air pollution improved in 2024 compared with the previous year and is significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels. Bolton had no exceedances of the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide in 2024.	Yes	Move to travel and transport theme Data source Greater Manchester Air Quality Annual Status Report 2024
Pillar 2: Buildings, transport and operations
12	Increase in green infrastructure associated with new development and no net increase in flood risk.	The GM Local Nature recovery Strategy sets out a roadmap for nature recovery across the city-region. The strategy has been drafted and a public consultation took place in 2024/2025.	Narrative	Move to Natural environment theme and replace with narrative.
13	Carbon neutral electricity by 2022	This KPI has been considered but is no longer viable within existing funding constraints.	No
14	Carbon Neutral by 2030	Co2 e emissions from the council has reduced by 38% since 2019 , from 28,335 tonnes in 2019-2020 to 17,526 tonnes in 2024-2025	Yes	Headline objective of the strategy. Move to Bolton Council’s Co2 emissions section.
15	Scope 3 carbon emissions footprint defined for procured goods and services	The data for this KPI is not available, so will be replaced with a narrative update.	Narrative	Move to Bolton Council’s Co2 emissions section.
16	Average Display Energy Certificate improved to D by 2024 C by 2027 B by 2030	Improving the energy efficiency of buildings owned by Vision partners remains a priority.	Replace	Move to buildings and energy theme and amend the KPI to EPC rather than DEC and to be in line with changes to the changes in national policy The government is considering legislation to raise the current minimum standard of EPC E will be raised to EPC C for all new tenancies from 2028 and all existing tenancies from 2030.
17	Five megawatts of new generation on buildings and land owned by Bolton Vision Partnership by 2024.	Bolton NHS FT have received £334,000 of grant funding to install approximately 300 solar PV panels on the Royal Bolton hospital.	Narrative and replace	Move to buildings and energy theme
18	Two megawatts of renewable energy project by Community Energy Projects	The Green Growth hub launched their Solar calculator to support businesses to install solar pv on their premises.	Narrative	Move to Buildings and energy theme and replace with KPI Amount of renewable energy installations by local authority Solar_photovoltaics_deployment_May_2025.xlsx (Source DESNZ.)
19	Municipal waste total rate per household NI 191 - Residual Waste NI 192 - Recycling	Total residual waste per household in 2024/2025 is 354.27(kg)   Recycling rate is 48.1%	Yes	Move to Waste theme Data provided by Bolton Council.
20	Zero waste to landfill Residual waste to be in line with Greater Manchester targets or better. Recycling rate to be in line with Greater Manchester target or better	In 2024/2025 several waste campaigns were promoted to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and to increase recycling rates including, food waste action week, recycling week and repair week.	Combine with KPI 19	Move to Waste theme Data provided by Bolton Council and Recycle for GM.
21	All Bolton Vision Partners adopt the Bolton Social Value Policy and Framework.	The Bolton Family Social Value partnership continue to work together to maximise social value opportunities across the borough.	Narrative	Replace with a narrative update on Social Value.
Pillar 3: Natural environment and climate change resilience
22	Increase biodiversity area associated with any new development and there is no net loss	Since February 2024, developers in England must deliver a Biodiversity net gain (BNG) of 10% for new developments (with some exemptions) under the Environment Act 2021.	Narrative	Replace with a narrative update on biodiversity projects across the borough.
23	Zero incidents of fly-tipping with zero impact on council budget	Fly tipping on the highway or on council owned land is dealt with as part of the scheduled street cleaning programme.	Narrative	Move to Waste theme
24	Meet legal compliance as agreed with government in the GM Clean Air Plan	The government accepted the assessment that an investment-led, non-charging Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan will achieve compliance with nitrogen dioxide levels on the local road network in the shortest possible time, and Greater Manchester will not need to implement a charging Clean Air Zone.	Combine with KPI 11 and 9	Move to Transport and travel theme. Data source https://cleanairgm.com/
25	Plant 15 hectares of new trees by 2025	32.89ha of trees have been planted since 2021.	Yes	Target exceeded. Data source City of Trees
26	No net loss of leaf area	City Of Trees have planted 193 large trees, 3,033 small trees and 230 metres of hedgerow in Bolton on land in 2024/2025.	Replace	The GM Itree survey which records leaf area is not collected annually. Replace this KPI with the number of trees planted in Bolton by City of Trees.
27	Rivers remain in good condition	United Utilities has completed four projects in Bolton to help improve the water quality of the River Irwell and its tributaries	Narrative	This indicator is no longer collected by the Environment Agency
Pillar 4: Skills for a sustainable future
28	Increase % of adult education courses run with environment and climate change skills emphasis	This indicator is no longer regarded as a meaningful indicator.	Combine/ No	Data is not available in this format.
29	Understand the tangible impact of the Bolton Green Umbrella Group	BGU continue to support environmental groups across the borough on environmental projects.	Narrative	Move to Natural environment theme. Narrative is a more meaningful indicator to highlight the wide range of environmental projects BGU support.
30	Engineers are trained in new skills for green technology in homes	Bolton College have developed and delivered a training course for Bolton at Home engineers in fault finding for low carbon technologies. Bolton at Home is training their technical services team, surveying staff and project managers in retrofit and renewable technologies.	Yes	Move to Businesses, skills and economy Data source Bolton at Home /Bolton College
Pillar 5: Employability, entrepreneurship and innovation
31	Local businesses engaged in Digital Business Hub.	Covered already in KPI 5	No	No longer regarded as a useful indicator.
32	Deploy technology developed in Bolton, for Bolton, that has a positive environmental impact	Green Economy continue to support green technology businesses in Greater Manchester to improving their competitiveness and providing access to new sales opportunities.	Narrative	Move to Businesses, skills and economy

 

 

 

Appendix B: Bolton Climate Change Strategy Delivery Plan: Revised Delivery Plan / Performance Indicators 2025/26

KPI	Aim	Target	Indicators	CC KPI	Alignment with GM Environment Plan
1	Reduce Co2 emissions in Bolton	Net zero by 2050	CO2e from Bolton borough	New	Aim 1
2	Reduce Co2 emissions from council operations	Net zero carbon by 2030	CO2e from council operations   Kwh for gas for council buildings Kwh for electricity for council buildings Fuel used in council fleet Water used in council buildings Waste produced in council buildings Staff travel	KPI 14	Aim 1 Aim 2
Governance and climate leadership
3	Promote and support community environmental projects		Amount of Bolton’s Fund awarded to cleaner and greener projects	Replacement metric for KPI 1, 2,3,4,6
Buildings and energy
4	Improve the energy efficiency of social housing	All fuel poor homes to be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2030.	Amount of energy efficiency installations/ retrofits.   EPC C ratings	KPI 8 KPI 9 KPI 11	Aim 1 Aim 2
5	Improve the energy efficiency of the private owner occupied and private rented sector.		Amount of energy efficiency installations/ retrofits.	KPI 9	Aim 1 Aim 2
6	Improve the energy efficiency of public sector buildings and increase the number of low carbon heating solutions and renewable technologies.	Five megawatts of new generation on buildings and land owned by Bolton Vision Partnership by 2024	Amount of installs	KPI 16 KPI 17	Aim 1 Aim 2
7	Increase the number of renewable technologies installed in the borough		Amount of renewable energy	KPI 18	Aim 1
Transport and travel
8	Increase journeys made by walking and cycling	Minimum of 3500 (80%) of Year 6 pupils to have completed Bikeability in Bolton by 2025.	Percentage of journeys up to 5k made by active modes   Amount of Yr 6 children completing Bikeability training.	KPI 10 KPI 11	Aim 3
9	Increase journeys taken by public transport	TfGM ‘right mix’ 50% of all journeys in GM to be made by walking, cycling & public transport by 2040	Bus patronage Annual vehicle miles travelled in the Borough	KPI 24	Aim 3
10	Improve air quality		% improvement in air quality	KPI 24	Aim 7
11	Increase EV charging points	Install an additional 400 EV charging points by March 2027	Publicly available EV Charging Devices	KPI 24	Aim 3
Waste
12	Reduce the amount of waste in every waste stream		Total residual waste per household Recycling rate Rejected loads tonnages	KPI 19 KPI 20	Aim 5
Natural environment
13	Increase biodiversity and nature recovery (including river quality)		Gross tree planting figures for all sites public and private	KPI 25 KPI 26 KPI 11	Aim 4
14	Improve the amount of green spaces that are better managed for nature.		Sites in active management LNRS SBI’s Amount of green Flag	KPI 22	Aim 4
15	Improve the access to good quality green spaces		% of green spaces within 15 mins		Aim 4
16	Reduce flood risk
Employment and skills
17	Bolton businesses to become low carbon and more resource efficient.		Tonnes of Co2 saved by Bolton businesses	KPI 4	Aim 8
18	Increase the number of residents who have the skills needed to work in the greener economy.		Engineers are trained in new skills for green technology in homes	KPI 30	Aim 8