The Highland Council is using data, benchmarking and scrutiny to drive efficiencies, reduce costs and support more sustainable service delivery.
Reports considered by the Council’s Climate Change Committee highlighted reductions in business travel expenditure and utility costs, while highlighting how travel and energy data is being used to track performance, identify opportunities for improvement and help guide future investment.
The Committee considered an update on sustainable business travel, which included 2025/26 data on business travel mileage, costs and emissions, alongside findings from a recent staff survey that received more than 1,300 responses, providing valuable insight into travel behaviours, travel demand and the factors influencing travel choices across the Council's workforce.
Climate Change Committee Chair, Cllr Kate Willis, said: "Business travel remains essential to service delivery across Highland, particularly given the scale and geography of the area we serve. At the same time, the data demonstrates opportunities to reduce unnecessary travel, improve efficiency and support lower-carbon travel choices where practical.
“The staff survey has provided valuable insight into how and why people travel for work, as well as the barriers to more sustainable travel options. Together with our travel data, this evidence is helping to inform priority actions and support better decision-making as we continue to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Council travel.”
Members also scrutinised the latest energy benchmarking data for the Council's non-domestic estate. The benchmarking tool enables detailed monitoring of energy, water, carbon emissions and utility costs across more than 1,100 sites, supporting evidence-based decisions on asset management, maintenance priorities and future investment.
The 2025/26 data shows a 12.8% reduction in utility costs across the estate, alongside reductions in heat consumption, water use and carbon emissions. The benchmarking approach helps identify both high-performing sites and opportunities for further improvement, supporting targeted action and helping to inform where resources and investment can be prioritised.
The benchmarking tool is publicly available on the Council's website, enabling residents and stakeholders to view performance data for the Council's non-domestic estate: www.highland.gov.uk/land-property/energy-use-buildings
Councillor Willis added: “Both reports demonstrate how performance monitoring is helping the Council better understand the environmental and financial impacts of its operations. By regularly reviewing this information, Members and Officers can track progress, identify areas for improvement and support evidence-based decisions that help reduce costs, lower emissions and deliver value for money.”
Reports:
Item 4iii. Net Zero Thematic Group Update – Sustainable Business Travel
Item 7 – Energy Benchmarking of Non-Domestic Property Estate 2025-26