York and North Yorkshire Mayor has welcomed £700,000 in
government funding for the region to invest in cheaper, clean
energy systems in community buildings.
The grant comes via the new Mayoral Renewables Fund and will
support installation of solar panels across a range of community
facilities in York and North Yorkshire, including Yearsley
Swimming Pool in York, Whitby Leisure Centre and the Active North
Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announced
the funding today, (17/07/25) and estimate the combined savings
to the venues as £4million over the lifetime of the technology.
The mayor spoke directly with , Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net
Zero, today to explain how the region aimed to achieve its
ambition of carbon negative by 2040 and the benefits it would
bring to communities. The award was one of the biggest to any of
the mayoral bidders in England.
said: “We're putting our
commitment to supporting communities and tackling climate change
into action. Via the new Mayoral Renewables Fund we will invest
£700,000 into community facilities – so they spend less on energy
and more on supporting people.
“York and North Yorkshire has the world-class universities,
natural resources and ambition to be a trailblazer. We need to
take action for our communities who suffer the devastation of
flooding and for our farmers who face unpredictable
weather.
“We are backing exciting projects that change how we heat our
homes, produce electricity, and grow our food.
“Through the Mayoral Renewables Fund, our Net Zero Fund, and
Carbon Negative Challenge Fund, we will continue to drive a more
sustainable future that can benefit communities and businesses,
and we can go further, faster, with more government
support.”
As well as the Mayoral Renewable Fund, the projects are also
supported with funding from City of York Council and North
Yorkshire Council.
North Yorkshire Council's executive member for managing
our environment, Cllr Richard Foster, said: “This
funding will help to continue our work to ensure that North
Yorkshire is a cleaner, greener and more environmentally-friendly
place to live, work and visit.
“Our ambition is to ensure that the council is operating with net
zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and schemes such as this
are vital to making sure that we do achieve this.
“This funding for our leisure centres in Whitby and Ripon will
introduce green technology such as solar panels in venues that
are at the heart of our communities, providing cheaper ways of
generating energy while helping to protect the environment.”
Leader of City of York Council, Cllr Claire , said: “Investment like
this will make a really positive difference for facilities like
Yearsley swimming pool.
A lot of energy is used to heat the pool, ensuring residents have
a great option for being active. Fantastic facilities like
Yearsley are what helps York have one of the most active adult
populations in the country, so it's important we invest in their
future.
“Installing solar panels on buildings like this will help to
reduce energy costs, meaning we can save money and redirect it
into essential services for our residents.
“We've got a big net zero ambition in York. Working with
other organisations to make improvements like this also has a
long-term benefit for the climate. It's part of a range of
ways we're supporting this ambition, including investment in
homes and public buildings in the city to make them as energy
efficient as possible.”
Venues supported by the funding, in York and North
Yorkshire
- Transport & Logistics, Thirsk
- Athena House, York
- Eastfield Local Policing Office,
Scarborough
- Whitby Leisure Centre
- Thirsk & Sowerby Leisure Centre
- Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The
Jack Laugher Centre.
- Yearsley Pool, York
-
School, York
- Acomb Explore, York
