Perth & Kinross Council has been selected to be part of two of 31 feasibility studies to receive a share of £2 million to develop innovative ways to overcome barriers to Net Zero, as part of Innovate UK's £60 million Net Zero Living programme, which is also helping drive the UK government's Levelling Up agenda.

In the first phase of the programme, the feasibility studies will look at what approaches to test in each local area, focussing on overcoming non-technical or social barriers such as financing, governance, regulation, and engagement.

In the second phase of the programme, up to six projects will be selected to demonstrate the results of the feasibility studies which cover all parts of the UK from Belfast to Bristol, Caerphilly to Cambridge, Orkney to Oldham, and Perth to Portsmouth.

The Council will be leading the project Dialogue for Accelerating Net Zero Living Perth & Kinross in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, Nicki Souter Associates and the Perth and Kinross Climate Change Commission.

This project will explore how the residents of Perth and Kinross can speed up the area's transition to a low-carbon future. By organising 'hackathons' and other events, the Council will empower young people to articulate their vision of how their village or neighbourhood should start to look in the near future. These perspectives on sustainability will be shared with older residents for a community-wide discussion about the changes we need to make collectively, the difficulties that some people may have concerns about (or may encounter) and the local benefits we should seek to share (e.g. cleaner air, less noisy traffic, more local green jobs).

These local cross-generation 'climate action dialogues' will feed into a larger regional event involving citizens and local businesses that will be used to inform and improve Council policy, and help to develop new low carbon projects that are locally developed and supported. Focus groups will also be held with the public and consultation with representatives of a range of sectors such as the business community, to probe issues and barriers that relate directly to them.

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The Council is also part of a consortium for the second project: Digital and dynamic approaches to Local Area Energy Planning, alongside Oxfordshire County Council, Dundee City Council , Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks, and Advanced Infrastructure, which provides software as a service (SaaS) to local government and the organisations that own and control the electricity distribution network.

Dan van der Horst from the University of Edinburgh said: "We are proud to be a partner in this innovative project, which will engage actively with citizens and stakeholders to develop local ideas and visions on how to address community needs by deploying long term low carbon solutions that are best suited for Perth and Kinross and its residents."

Nicki Souter from Nicki Souter Associates Limited said: "We are delighted to be partners in this exciting project, and we look forward to engaging with the key business sectors in Perth and Kinross to learn more about the initiatives and activities they are developing and delivering on their journeys to Net Zero, and the opportunities for collaboration within communities."

Richard Oram, co-chair of the Perth and Kinross Climate Change Commission commented: "We are delighted to be project partners in this exciting initiative which gives people from across Perth and Kinross the opportunity to contribute to mapping our route to Net Zero. Communities in all parts of the area will feed in their experiences and explore the obstacles and opportunities they encounter in adapting to a low carbon future."

Convener of Perth & Kinross Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Richard Watters said: "The transition to Net Zero in the Perth and Kinross area is, like the rest of the UK, a complex challenge. There are many aspects to consider from technical, social and practical perspectives and community engagement will help identify how we can achieve a low-carbon future here. Alongside this, supporting decision-making through digital innovation will be vital in tackling climate change. I look forward to seeing these projects develop."

Commenting on the launch of the programme, Innovate UK's Mike Biddle, Executive Director for Net Zero said: "Working with our partners in government, we are taking bold steps towards achieving Net Zero and Levelling Up our communities. The funding for these feasibility studies in 31 places across all corners of the UK is a strong indication of our commitment to creating a sustainable, greener and more equitable future for everyone.

"Many of the solutions needed to reach Net Zero are starting to become available, but making it happen isn't easy. Local authorities have a key role to play in addressing up to 30% of our carbon emissions, and even more through their influence on planning and policy decisions.

"It is so exciting to see this work begin because of the huge potential it has to make a real impact for our communities. We're eager to see the results of the feasibility studies and take the most promising projects to the next stage."