Hampshire County Council commissioned NEF Consulting to support them to create a strategy for green economic recovery that:
- Improves living standards rather than simply targeting GVA growth.
- Supports the creation of good, secure jobs.
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the county.
We explored what a green economic recovery means for Hampshire, identified and assessed priority areas, and then brought together experts and local stakeholders to develop ideas for council strategy.
To identify priority areas and settle on these two key priority areas, we undertook a deliberative process that engaged a wide range of stakeholders and built on the existing work of the Hampshire 2050 Partnership.
Our recommendations and analysis focus on two priority areas:
- Financing the investment needed to tackle emissions, housing deprivation and fuel poverty.
- Tackling skills deficits in low energy construction.
With an estimated 24% of Hampshire’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from residents living in their homes (excluding construction emissions), action on both these areas is key to reducing county emissions. A preliminary estimate puts the cost of decarbonising housing in Hampshire at £15 to £16 billion, meaning there is a real opportunity create thousands of high-quality green jobs, if done correctly.
Using a policy lab process to engage local stakeholders and sectoral experts, we identified 17 recommendations for action across the two priority areas. As of November 2021, the council has, actioned one of the recommendations and we are continuing to support the others.