Web services slash CO2 emissions

Online services increasingly being rolled out by local government are saving thousands of tonnes in CO2 emissions, it has been claimed.

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Research commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government found the web services of Sunderland City Council save around 80 tonnes in CO2 per year.

The savings come through a reduced need for people to travel to council offices to make enquiries or submit paperwork, or for staff to move between locations.

If the figure is scaled up for the rest of the country, it would mean a reduction in CO2 emissions of 14,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to 5,362 return flights from Heathrow to Malaga in Spain.

The research is based on data supplied by Sunderland City Council relating to web services for planning, schools admission, registrars' certificates, environmental service enquiries and council tax payments.

In addition, the reduction in CO2 due to the web services is significantly higher than the extra CO2 generated by the increased server requirements.

Parmjit Dhanda, minister for e-government, said people should be encouraged to talk to their local authority via the web due to these benefits.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, councillor Bob Symonds, said delivering services in an environmentally friendly and efficient way is a continuing priority for the council.

The research, carried out by environmental consultancy Best Foot Forward, examined the contribution of local council web services to tackling climate change.

Online services are already proven to significantly cut costs for government agencies by boosting efficiency.