The LGA has welcomed calls from Whitehall for greater investment in green IT, arguing that the government's focus will challenge "stuck in the mud" councils that refuse to embrace more sustainable and energy efficient technologies.

Speaking at the recent fourth European Ministerial Conference in Lisbon, Cabinet Office minister Gillian Merron said government computer systems need to be greener and more energy efficient.

She argued that since the government is the biggest user of IT in the UK, spending around £12bn per year, it must take the lead and set a good example on the environment.

"This doesn't just mean reducing the amount of electricity [IT systems] use, but also looking at how they can be designed and built in ways that consume fewer materials and which make recycling easier," she said.

Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association's (LGA's) environment board, supported the minister's calls for a greater focus on green technologies and criticised councils that have a "stuck-in-the-mud" attitude to technology procurement.

However, Bettison insisted that many leading councils were already committed to implementing renewable energy technologies and more energy efficient IT systems.

He cited how Suffolk County Council's headquarters' building is generating power from photovoltaic cells incorporated in the external building fabric and also pointed to one Surrey district council that has installed a meter in the reception area designed to show how much electricity is being used. He added that many councils are also moving away from CRT monitor technology to flat-screens, a move which will significant reduce energy demand.

Bettison said that generally councils are working hard to exercise common leadership when it comes to sustainability. "The public sector is always striving for efficiency and is keen to perform its functions in the most sustainable way as possible," he said.

He also pointed to the fact that 240 councils had signed the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change and were working with the LGA's environment board to investigate techniques to limit carbon emissions as further evidence that councils are showing leadership on the environment.