Mott MacDonald provides hands-on net-zero advisory and delivery support that helps UK local authorities move "beyond targets" toward real-world impact:
- Local Area Energy Planning & Net Zero Roadmaps: Partnering with councils to transform climate commitments into actionable plans. We apply whole-system modelling and stakeholder workshops to provide teams with practical toolkits for accelerating delivery.
- Decarbonisation Advisory & Technical Design: Advising on funding streams and providing engineering for heat networks, industrial heat recovery, and low carbon infrastructure. We help shape regulatory frameworks, integrate new technology, and map viable net zero pathways.
- Building-Scale Net Zero Services: Supporting Net Zero building standards, low carbon specs in new builds, and optimising existing estates. We guide target setting, resource circularity, and team upskilling in circular economy principles.
- Hydrogen/Renewables Integration: Leading hydrogen feasibility studies, advising on demonstration hubs, and designing wind/solar renewables to support local energy strategies.
- Climate Policy & Finance: Shaping policies, aligning strategy with climate goals, and providing technical advice for climate finance access—leveraging data for targeted decision-making and investment.
- Project & Programme Delivery: Converting strategies into action by planning and delivering net zero programmes, maintaining tight control of quality, cost, time, and risk.
- Change Management: Supporting authorities through net zero transitions, assessing impacts, and creating plans to prepare employees, residents, and stakeholders for change.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Socio-Economic Analysis: Running workshops, developing socio-economic cases, and ensuring "just transition" principles via effective stakeholder and governance engagement.
- Net Zero Economics: Guiding economic approval pathways, job/skills analysis, social value assessment, and developing business cases to unlock needed investment.
- Procurement & Supply Chain: Designing and executing procurement for reliable deployment, forecasting and visualising supply/demand, and building capacity to meet decarbonisation targets.
- Systems Thinking: Applying structured approaches to complexity, enhancing affordability, risk management, and multi-benefit governance—improving resilience, placemaking, and cohesion.
- Digital Solutions: Using tools like Moata Carbon Portal to forecast, manage, and reduce carbon. Advising clients on digital investments for carbon and sustainability management.
We can help all councils, and tailor our services to meet the needs of the specific local authority. We have a strong track record of supporting local authorities across the country. We believe in a place-based approach to achieving net zero; and understand that the approach will vary in different places. Local public, private and community buy-in will be critical in driving change. We will leverage our local knowledge, existing experience and networks to work in partnership with local authorities who want our support.
We have experience working nationwide with different local authorities responding to their Net Zero Challenges. We are proud of our work with:
- Glasgow City Council to develop its Net Zero Roadmap.
- Coventry City Council to develop its energy plan.
- Leeds City Council to minimise flood risk whilst making sure the infrastructure delivered was as low carbon as possible.
- Greater London Authority to deliver the Mayor of London's Zero Carbon Accelerator Programme.
Case Study 1: Glasgow City Council
In partnership with Climate View (who support all Scottish Local Authorities) we developed the Council’s Net Zero Route Map to give clarity and insight into the scale of challenge to meet their net zero ambitions. Working closely with all Council Departments and using the Climate OS Platform we modelled their pathways to Net Zero. The platform allowed costing of interventions, and our role included data gathering, analysis, workshops and delivering a report that Council Leader Susan Aitken described as a “phenomenal piece of work”.
Case study 2: Coventry Council
Working with E.ON and Coventry City Council, we delivered an energy plan to guide their 15-year Strategic Energy Partnership to transform the city’s energy system, identifying deliverable, commercially credible action to achieve ambitious outcomes for the city. Our process drew upon the Energy Systems Catapult methodology for Local Area Energy Planning, which we enhanced applying HM Treasury Green Book principles to perform additional investment appraisal for identified projects. The Coventry City Energy Plan identifies the strategic projects that will have the greatest carbon, energy security and social impacts for the city’s energy future, accompanied with action plans for delivery. Throughout delivery, we built consensus for recommendations with E.ON and Coventry City Council, and both organisations are now aligned on strategic priorities for the Partnership. As a result of our work, E.ON have assessed their areas of focus, and aligned future investment to recommendations for their long term Energy Plan.
Case study 3: Leeds City Council
10 year collaboration secures long term flood protection for Leeds | Mott MacDonald
We supported Leeds City Council over a decade to deliver flood protection for the city. The carbon cost of the construction of the work was less than the carbon cost of the Storm Eva (Boxing Day, 2015) clear up. Protecting the city from flooding helps their journey to net zero, and multiple other benefits for the residents who were previously at risk. We supported the council to identify how natural flood management could be combined with more “traditional” flood risk measures, to minimise the height of the walls, resulting a decrease in embodied carbon from the construction. This natural flood management work, which features leaky dams, river meanders, planting of over 750,000 trees and aeration of 1,240ha of soil, enabled carbon sequestration and increased biodiversity.
Case study 4: Greater London Authority
Zero Carbon Accelerator launches to drive net zero future across the capital | Mott MacDonald
We are supporting the Greater London Authority to deliver the Mayor of London’s Zero Carbon Accelerator Programme. With buildings accounting for 67 per cent of the capital’s carbon emissions, the Zero Carbon Accelerator is helping organisations such as local authorities and health, education, and social housing providers, to co-create and implement their net zero plans to reduce their environmental impact. We are providing essential support to organisations at every stage of their decarbonisation journey, including initial advice and training, technical and procurement expertise and support related to funding and finance of projects.
We understand that local authorities need to demonstrate value for money for their residents and communities. We can adapt our services to your needs and ensure that delivery is efficient and valuable. We support local authorities with tactical pieces of work to fully integrated programme delivery and design services. If you are interested in any of our services, we are available to discuss and explore.
Mott MacDonald | Innovative Engineering, Management & Development Solutions | Mott MacDonald
Alan Hendry
Alan.Hendry@mottmac.com
“Phenomenal piece of work” — Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council Leader on Glasgow City Council’s Net Zero Route Map
