Oxford City Council

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector or public sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Councils are uniquely placed to effect change in response to the climate crisis. This award is intended to mark excellence in any aspect of a council’s work in addressing the carbon footprint of the council, its services and its broader local area. Entries may include work to capture climate benefits from changed behaviours or work with local businesses and communities to address the climate crisis, to both enable economic growth and secure environmental improvements. Entries will be judged on the innovation of their submissions, the extent to which it has delivered measurable change, the quality of evidence of support from local communities, and the ability for other councils to replicate the work.

Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) is one of three national demonstrator projects that have been part-funded by UK Research & Innovation to showcase the benefits of smart, local energy systems. The aim is to transform how people power their lives, from travelling to work to heating their homes. ESO is a collaboration between private and public sector organisations and has developed an electric vehicle charging hub, hybrid battery storage, low-carbon heating, and smart energy management to improve air quality and realise a net-zero Oxford by 2040.