Islington Council is spearheading a substantial climate action programme, with a pipeline of projects valued at approximately £4 billion. This significant investment, detailed in the Net Zero Project Pipeline published with 30 London Boroughs, underscores the scale of financial commitment required to achieve net zero targets.
The council's dedication to climate action was a central theme at the Environment, Climate and Transport Scrutiny Committee meeting on March 10, 2026. The meeting provided a comprehensive review of the past year's achievements and ongoing initiatives across key sectors, including housing, energy, transport, and the expansion of green spaces.
Key financial commitments include a £28.797 million capital programme specifically for climate action. Within this, £16.774 million is allocated to the Liveable Neighbourhoods
initiative, which aims to transform local streets into greener, safer, and healthier spaces by reducing through-traffic and enhancing public areas. This funding has supported projects such as the Mildmay and Cally Liveable Neighbourhoods, a new School Street at Mildmay, a segregated cycle crossing of Essex Road, and the St John Street public realm scheme. The People Friendly Pavements
programme has also seen pavement improvements on Caledonian Road and other locations, further enhancing walking and wheeling routes. An additional £1.3 million is dedicated to the creation of new green spaces.
Beyond the council's direct capital programme, significant efforts are underway to secure private and green finance. Islington Council is actively participating in the GLA and London Councils' Climate Budgeting Workshops, exploring mechanisms such as the Green Finance Fund, National Wealth Fund, London EDGE Fund, Opportunity London, and the Net Zero Neighbourhood initiative. Furthermore, the council is developing commercial models and identifying potential delivery partners for heat networks, as detailed in the Investment Prospectus for the Bunhill Heat Network.
Significant progress has been made in decarbonising social housing, with 78% of internal installations for low-carbon heating now complete. This initiative has already led to a reduction of approximately 500,000 kWh in gas usage and 91.1 tonnes of CO2e emissions.
In the transport sector, Islington has been recognised for its commitment, ranking as the top inner London borough in the Healthy Streets Scorecard for the fifth consecutive year. The borough is also expanding its electric vehicle (EV) charge point network, with a target of at least 1,481 on-street charge points by 2030, supported by a £933,000 funding award.
Islington's commitment to enhancing its green spaces includes a target to repurpose 1.5 hectares into new greenspace, with 36% of this goal already achieved. The council has also planted a record 702 net new trees in the past year.
The council is developing the Islington Borough Energy Plan, which models various scenarios for the borough's energy transition. This plan identifies an estimated investment of £3,455 million required for net zero, with substantial portions allocated to heat networks (£1.694 billion) and property-level heat pumps (£639 million).
Discussions at the scrutiny committee meeting also covered the expansion of low-carbon heat networks, including a business case to attract £180 million of private sector investment for the South Islington heat network. The Islington Community Energy Fund has been instrumental in supporting local initiatives, providing over £760,000 in grant funding to 59 projects since 2017, resulting in an estimated annual saving of 208 tonnes of CO2.
To further engage residents and businesses in the borough-wide energy transition, Islington Council has outlined a multi-faceted strategy. This includes promoting private sector retrofit through events, pop-ups, workshops, and a dedicated domestic retrofit campaign for renters and homeowners. For businesses, the council supports the Islington Sustainability Network (ISN) and the Islington Anchor Institutions group, and has provided Energising Small Business Grants. Green skills are fostered through Adult Community Learning courses, and a UK Shared Prosperity Funded Project supports events encouraging walking, cycling, and wheeling. The Islington Climate Panel has also played a crucial role in shaping the new Islington Climate Action Plan, with input gathered through workshops and pop-up sessions for residents and businesses.
Further details on the council's climate action programme can be found in the Public reports pack for the Environment, Climate and Transport Scrutiny Committee meeting on March 10, 2026 here. The annual review of the committee's work is available here.
