Councillor Jim Montgomerie with one of the CarClub vehicles.

The programme is operated by Enterprise Car Club and, according to the council, has led to a 37% reduction in CO2 emissions, or 9.1 tonnes of CO2 annually.

A total of 14 vehicles are run on the scheme, including three EVs added last year and three more new cars added last month. The vehicles are in constant use, travelling almost 11,000 miles every month, with more than 500 members currently.

As a result, cars can be taken home overnight for early-morning meetings or brought back to base the following morning at each employee’s convenience.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie said: “We were spending approximately £1.2m on business miles and that simply needed to change.

“The scheme is about changing the mind-set of our staff and making it the norm for employees to book car club vehicles for meetings.

“Using your own car and claiming mileage should become the exception to the rule.  The car pool scheme saves the council money, reduces our carbon footprint and is really positive for staff. It allows them to leave their own car at home which takes away all the hassles of traffic, parking and minimises the wear and tear on their car.”

As a result of the scheme’s success, the council is looking at making permanent arrangements for business miles.

Montgomerie added: “The scheme has worked very well and the message is getting across to our staff. The feedback from staff using the scheme is always positive. We are always looking at ways to develop it further.”