COVENTRY has been named among the top 15 in the UK’s greenest cities.
The leaderboard, based on four categories – nature, transport, emissions an sustainability – puts Coventry 13th – two places above Birmingham,
The city had 1,416 electric vehicles (EVs) per charging point, had a 32.9 per cent recycling rate, scored 7.4 in air quality and 8.2 parks per 10,000 people.
London finished top – mainly because of its solar investment which amounted to £149,126 per million pounds of council budget, its high ratio of green spaces per 10,000 of the population, and availability of EV charging stations.
Bristol was not far behind, with the most EV charging points for drivers, at only 914 drivers per charger. To give a comparison, Birmingham EV drivers have to battle it out, with 6,997 of them per charging station. The high percentage of household recycling, and substantial investment in solar also made it a top contender in our list.
Coventry’s council solar investment was among the lowest with none spent in the budget, according to the figures.
Making up the rest of the top five was Manchester, Glasgow and York.
Simon Peat, CEO of Project Solar UK who commissioned the research, said: “While this research highlights that Local Authorities are working hard to fulfil their commitments around moving towards netzero, we also note that individuals and communities are taking critical steps towards carbon zero.
“From planting trees and setting up communal composting areas to installing solar panels and purchasing electric vehicles, our communities are addressing environmental problems in their local areas.
“Together their proactive moves, such as choosing renewable energy sources and tackling waste, alongside those of Local Authorities, all help in addressing the climate emergency.”
