Who We Are
Meet the ZCOP Secretariat
The ZCOP Secretariat is a small team who drive and champion the partnership’s climate action, enabling organisations to take urgent steps within their own operations while fostering collaboration. Building on a strong track record of uniting partners, the Secretariat helps accelerate local net-zero projects by harnessing collective expertise, influence, and funding opportunities.
History of ZCOP
In January 2019, Oxford City Council declared a climate emergency, committing to address climate change at the local level and work towards a zero-carbon future. This declaration set the foundation for collaborative climate action across the city and beyond.
In October 2019, Oxford held a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change—the first by a UK city. Fifty residents, randomly selected to reflect the city's diversity, explored how to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through expert presentations and discussions.
Following the Assembly, Oxford City Council committed to bold action, including launching the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership (ZCOP)—a collaboration of major organisations working towards a net-zero future.
On 4 February 2021, leaders from 21 major businesses and organisations in Oxford signed the Zero Carbon Oxford Charter at the virtual Zero Carbon Oxford Summit. This marked their commitment to achieving net zero by 2040, the Oxford target. The Summit was an opportunity for representatives to showcase their climate plans and action, facilitate conversation about a collective vision, and establish a formal partnership and collaborative approach to tackling the climate crisis.
The Oxfordshire Net Zero Routemap and Action Plan (ONZRMAP) is the guiding document for decarbonisation efforts at a county level. This report, published by the Future Oxfordshire Partnership in 2023, sets a pathway for the county to achieve net zero by 2050, with intermediate emissions reduction milestones at 2025, 2030, and 2040. ONZRMAP is based on the ‘Oxfordshire Leading the Way’ scenario set out in the Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire (PaZCO) report published by the University of Oxford in 2021.
Decarbonisation across the county is informed by the actions set out in the ONZRMAP, including vehicle electrification, retrofit, development of a Local Area Energy Plan and nature-based carbon sequestration.
In 2025, following decision from the Steering Group of local authorities, businesses and institutions Partnership became the Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnership by expanding to include the entire county. This expansion strengthened cooperation between local authorities, businesses, and other key stakeholders across Oxfordshire, working together towards the goal
The ZCOP framework for collaboration
Steering Group
The Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnership (ZCOP) Steering Group consists of a subset of partners who play a pivotal role in achieving Oxfordshire’s net-zero target.
These members are strategically essential to the delivery of the county-wide zero-carbon agenda and are responsible for overseeing the overall commitments of ZCOP.
Membership of the ZCOP Steering Group is by invitation of the Secretariat, ensuring representation across key sectors and skills necessary for achieving a net zero and climate-resilient Oxfordshire. Membership is voluntary, with members serving an initial one-year term and deciding annually whether to continue their participation.
The Steering Group meets quarterly to address the following:
- Monitor progress on the Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Charter and track emissions against five-year carbon budgets.
- Identify priority actions and support Subgroups in developing roadmaps, action plans, and collaborative projects.
- Engage with key stakeholders, including the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership and Joint Leaders’ Committee, to align efforts.
- Champion ZCOP’s work at regional and national levels.
The ZCOP Steering Group also:
- Establishes and reviews Subgroups as needed.
- Reports on progress to ZCOP members and the wider community.
- Ensures adequate resources for partnership administration.
- Reviews carbon targets in response to policy, technology, or financial changes.
Public summaries of the Steering Group meetings are below:
Sprint Groups
Sprint groups are smaller subgroups of the Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnership intended to act as ‘task-and-finish-groups’ – established on an ad-hoc basis to achieve a specific objective within a defined time limit.
They allow relevant individuals and organisations with a particular interest, knowledge or influence in a subject to come together to explore, action and deliver solutions to specific issues. On completion of the objective(s) the Sprint reports back or makes recommendations to the Steering Group for approval and is subsequently dissolved.
Participation in Sprints is voluntary and open to all Partners in ZCOP. Each Sprint group has a Champion, responsible for ensuring the objectives of the group are in accordance with the net zero targets of the partnership and a Lead who reports the progress of the Sprint at Steering Group meetings and carries out assigned actions.
Past and current Sprint Groups include:
- Domestic retrofit
- Sustainable Travel and Commuting
- Authority Based Insetting
- Energy Use
- EV Infrastructure Delivery
- Adaptation
- Green skills
