Decarbonising SBC's transport-related emissions includes reducing carbon emissions from business travel (such as those from the grey fleet used for operational purposes), and the modes of commuting of our workforce. Business travel, refers to the travel undertaken by staff at the Council for work purposes, as opposed to other types of travel, such as for leisure purposes or regularly commuting between the home and workplace. This may be for example, travelling to meetings, conferences, maintenance activities, site visits, or events. Grey Fleet describes private vehicles that are used for Business Travel. These vehicles are owned by the employees themselves, not by the Council.
TR12Decarbonise SBC's business travel & grey fleet
Progress
Description
In attempt to reduce the carbon emissions generated by business travel and staff commuting, the Council has implemented various initiatives for staff when conducting travel for Council needs or commuting. In addition to this, SBC ongoingly explores further potential initiatives or measures that could be taken to reduce emissions where possible.
The Council has a Workplace Travel Plan 2020-2025 aiming to reduce car use by encouraging staff and councillors to use alternative modes of transport. Currently, SBC has implemented the following schemes for business travel and commuting:
- Pool Bike Scheme - A mixture of regular (push) bicycles and electric bikes at both Daneshill House and Cavendish Road Depot for staff members and Councillors to use when travelling between sites or around Stevenage. Bicycle parking is available at both sites and the bikes can be signed out by members of staff at the receptions.
- Electric Vehicle Car Club - Staff members can enrol in the Electric Car Club run by Enterprise, and use these environmentally friendly vehicles for Council travel. The scheme means employees can conduct work related site visits or to go to meetings without needing to use a personal car.
- Green Mileage Allowance Scheme - Staff members are able to use bicycles for Council travel and then claim green mileage at 20p per mile. The UK mileage allowance rate 2024 has been set by HMRC for standard mileage reimbursement. The standard HMRC mileage rate is published each year. The rate for cycles is 20p per business mile.
- Cycling Infrastructure - Stevenage has over 45km of cycleways making it suitable for staff to use their personal bicycles or pool bikes to travel on council business locally. A cycle map of Stevenage, created by Cycling UK, has been shared with employees and is available on the staff intranet to aid individuals in finding cycle parking and routes. Cycle parking is also available at both offices for staff and six maintenance stands have been installed around the town.
Tasks
What has been done?
- 05/01/2024
Conduct a staff survey to assess business travel baseline
- 31/12/2019
Produce a Workplace Travel Plan 2020-2025
This plan aims to reduce car use by encouraging staff and councillors to use alternative modes of transport. As a large employer in Stevenage, the Council is keen to minimise the negative impact that over-reliance on car travel by its officers and councillors can have on the environment. Through this plan, the Council aimed to demonstrate what benefits moving to alternative modes of transport can bring and take some simple actions to make these choices more attractive.
- 31/12/2019
Setup of an SBC pool bike scheme
- 31/12/2019
Cycle to Work Scheme implementation
Summary and contacts
Portfolio Holder
Strategic Themes
Engagement type
Information updated 02/12/2024
Assess the current scenario of SBC staff travel for business travel and commuting via a newly updated Staff Travel Survey. The survey results will demonstrate how often officers travel on for Council business, chosen modes of transportation for doing so, and the reasoning behind that choice of transportation. The survey will also allow us to assess business travel frequency and modes of transport. Altogether, the results will input analyses for updating SBC current incentives for sustainable travel.