Cheshire West and Chester Race To Zero Advisory Service

Cheshire West and Chester Council has launched a new business support service to assist companies to respond to the challenges of net-zero and rising energy costs. The service is part of the Council’s response to the Climate Emergency, which it declared in 2019, as it aims for the borough to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

The new service is delivered by the sustainable business experts Groundwork. Through the service Groundwork is providing companies with opportunities to join webinars about energy efficiency, download energy and net-zero FAQ sheets, speak to specialist advisors and, for medium to large energy users, access to a limited number of funded energy audits.

The project will also be supporting a net-zero business park feasibility study on a key employment park in west Cheshire, which will seek to identify the key opportunities and challenges from net-zero for companies located on the site.

Cllr Matt Bryan, Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning, and Climate Emergency at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Cheshire West and Chester Council is delighted to be able to support this new service for local companies.”

We are inviting interested companies to register for this service to understand where and when they can start taking action to address the challenges of net-zero and high energy prices.

The first step companies need to take is to register with the service at: www.racetozero.org.uk. Registered companies will be contacted by a specialist advisor from Groundwork to identify the key opportunities available to each company to begin addressing net-zero and the impacts of high energy prices.

The service is funded through the UK Governments UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF). The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

Visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus for more information.