The Department for Education has committed to publish a net zero roadmap by Autumn 2024.
The announcement comes after Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warned the Department for Education that only 20% of England’s schools estate will be net zero compliant by 2050.
The EAC also pointed out last year that there was a “significant funding gap” between the Department for Education’s sustainability ambitions and its current spending plans.
It is concerned however that long-term funding to meet sustainability objects needs to be allocated
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox everyday
“As the Department’s current spending plans appear insufficient to ensure maintenance of the current education estate and mitigation of the most serious risks of building failure, on current plans there is little realistic prospect of sufficient funding being available for the sustainability improvements DfE has committed to make to the education estate,” the EAC wrote.
EAC Chair Philip Dunne said the roadmap will be an “invaluable resource” that will allow the Department for Education to “set out in detail the challenge ahead”.
Dunne added that it will give the government “sufficient visibility of the urgent case for significant additional funding for this large element of the public buildings estate”.
