On 8 September 2025, Logika Group launched the Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool, a new resource designed to fill this important gap. The tool provides recommended carbon budgets at Local Authority level, helping practitioners compare the emissions from a proposed development or project against a net zero-aligned budget for the area in which it sits. This ensures GHG assessments can be meaningfully contextualised at a local level, in line with the latest professional guidance.
Why was this tool needed?
Until August 2025, recommended carbon budgets at the Local Authority level were published by the University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. These budgets became widely used as a reference point for practitioners undertaking GHG assessments for EIA, despite being originally developed to help Local Authorities set their own climate targets. Their adoption was accelerated when they were referenced in the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP, formerly IEMA) guidance on assessing GHG emissions and evaluating significance.
In August 2025, the Tyndall Centre removed access to the dataset. In the absence of any other resources to allocate budgets by Local Authority area, a gap opened for practitioners needing a robust, net zero-aligned baseline for contextualising project emissions. The Logika Carbon Budget Tool was developed specifically to meet this need.
What does the tool do?
The Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool allows users to:
- View recommended carbon budgets at Local Authority level up to 2050 — in line with the UK’s legally binding net zero target under the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019.
- Compare project emissions to a net zero-aligned budget for the Local Authority where a proposed development is located.
- Derive year-by-year carbon budgets, apportioned following the Climate Change Committee’s Balanced Pathway.
- Account for all emissions sources and greenhouse gases, geographically within the Local Authority boundary.
This approach ensures consistency, transparency, and continuity for practitioners conducting GHG assessments for EIA.
Methodology and comparison with Tyndall Centre data
Logika set out to replicate the Tyndall Centre methodology as closely as possible. However, as the tool was developed, some methodological adjustments were made to reflect its primary use case in GHG assessments for EIA. These decisions, and their implications, are set out in detail in the accompanying report.
It is important to note that, like the Tyndall Centre’s data, the Logika carbon budgets do not carry legislative status. However, because they are derived directly from the UK’s legislated national carbon budgets and aligned with the CCC’s Balanced Pathway, the Logika Group carbon budgets provide a credible and representative sub-division of the UK’s trajectory towards net zero.
The full report explains:
- How to use the Logika Carbon Budget Tool;
- The methodology behind the recommended carbon budgets;
- A comparison with the Tyndall Centre methodology and outputs;
- Ideas for future development.
Why it matters
By offering continuity where the Tyndall Centre dataset is no longer available, the Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool provides a robust and transparent resource for estimating the contribution of development-related emissions to local and national climate goals. It supports practitioners in carrying out GHG assessment for EIA that remain aligned with professional best practice and offering a way in which to quantify and understand the climate contribution of projects.
Read the full report here.
At Logika Group, we are committed to providing practical tools and expert insight to support the transition to net zero. The Logika Local Authority Carbon Budget Tool is designed to give EIA practitioners a reliable and defensible method for contextualising GHG emissions, ensuring assessments are aligned with ISEP guidance. If you are an environmental consultant, planner, or sustainability professional and would like to explore how the tool can strengthen your GHG assessments, please get in touch with our team.
We also recognise the challenges that developers and Local Authorities face in balancing climate commitments with the delivery of essential projects. If you are seeking expert support in integrating carbon budgets and targets into your projects or decision-making, our team would be happy to discuss how this tool can help.
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