The Government has announced a range of new policies as part of its aim to significantly cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Its long-awaited net zero strategy, outlining plans to meet legal targets to end its contribution to climate change by 2050, has been published ahead of crucial UN Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Among the key policies are an expansion of the electric vehicle network and new measures to encourage renewable heating in homes.

We've taken a look at the progress made on green initiatives in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole so far:

Electric vehicle charging

The Government's net zero strategy included an announcement of £620 million for electric vehicle grants to support the rollout of charging infrastructure nationally.

Figures show Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is behind many other parts of Great Britain with the pace of its EV charging point rollout.

Statistics from the Department for Transport show there were 82 public charging points in the area at the start of October – up from 72 a year before.

But at a rate of 21 per 100,000 people, this is well below the UK average, of 39.

Since October 2019 – when figures began at local authority level – the number of devices in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has risen by 24.

Across the UK, an additional 10,800 devices were made available over the same period, taking the total number to 25,900 by October.

Renewable heating

Households will also be able to benefit from £5,000 government grants to install low-carbon heating systems as part of plans to cut emissions from homes.

The £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme – which opens from April next year – will help homeowners to swap their gas boiler for a more efficient air source heat pump.

It will launch at the same time as a similar programme, the Renewable Heat Incentive, closes to new applicants.

People who join the domestic version of the RHI receive quarterly payments for the amount of clean, green renewable heat it is estimated their system produces.

Data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows 94,000 renewable heating systems had been installed across Great Britain through RHI by the end of September – 15 per cent more than September 2020.

Of these, 160 have been installed in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, helping to pay for 4,010 megawatts per hour of energy.

That is an increase of 17 per cent on the 137 systems installed by September last year, meaning Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is moving at a faster pace than the national average.