A MATURE Wales wide conversation is needed around loosening climate change Net Zero targets for local authorities, a senior councillor has said.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Finance Panel on Friday, July 26, the costs of the move towards Net Zero were discussed as part of a debate around an updated Financial Planning report.

The report explains that an investment of £563 million is needed to maintain and upgrade the council’s 650 assets which includes school buildings, leisure centres and the farm estate.

Of this figure £447 million would be needed to: “achieve Net Zero requirements and reduce the councils’ carbon footprint.”

This cost is on top of the council’s other “aspirations and usual activities” such as maintaining roads.

To do this the council would need to borrow around £30 million a year – which would be paid back from the council’s revenue budget.

Plaid Cymru group leader, Cllr Elwyn Vaughan said: “There’s a huge potential capital expenditure to achieve Net Zero, we’re already in 2024 and 2030 is not that far away.

“It has a potential annual borrowing cost which would have a huge effect on our annual budget.

“I think there needs to be a mature, honest conversation not just in Powys but on an all Wales level how achievable some of these targets are.”

He added that the United Nations convention on Climate Change had set a Net Zero target of 2050 with an interim target of 63 per cent by 2030.

Cllr Vaughan said: “That’s a huge difference to our target by 2030 and a third less would mean £10million less costs per year.”

“We all want to achieve these aims as soon as possible but we have to be realistic.”

He asked if local authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) were in talks with the Welsh Government to lower the target to lighten the “financial pressures” on councils.