Local government must be recognised in the race to net zero – Inside track

This post is by Isaac Beevor, partnerships director at Climate Emergency UK.

For the first time, English councils have collectively called for a legal duty to tackle the climate crisis. Councils have redeclared that tackling the climate crisis should continue to be a top priority, recognising that residents want more renewable energy, more homes retrofitted and more frequent, electric public transport. This message should resonate across the UK and act as a rallying cry for councils to do their utmost to tackle the climate crisis.

While a small number of councils may be indulging in attention seeking action around net zero, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents all English councils, has made a significant recommitment to climate action.

The LGA set out this position in its response to a consultation on climate statutory duties: “the LGA has adopted as its headline position, that: local authorities need statutory duties and powers, sufficient funding, and robust support to lead on climate action.”

Councils stepping up where government hesitates
Many councillors from across the political spectrum, supported by Climate Emergency UK, have pushed for this change. The process kicked off in November 2024 with a unanimous vote in support of the principle of a climate statutory duty from the Local Infrastructure and Net Zero (LINZ) Board, led by Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster Council.

More impressive was the response to the consultation. One hundred and fifty councils responded — almost half of English authorities — with near unanimous support for a climate statutory duty.

This significant recommitment from councils makes the UK government’s ambivalence towards local climate action even more perplexing.

When the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was published, what powers would be included to tackle the climate crisis? Heat network zoning. That was it. Mayors will be given a duty to consider health in every decision they take, but there will be no comparable duty for climate or nature.

Despite their warm words about councils and mayors being key to reaching the UK’s net zero targets and carbon budgets, the UK government has missed an opportunity to legislate for this, suggesting that it doesn’t think it is important to actually assess local authorities on what they are doing to reduce emissions.

There is an urgent need for clearer climate accountability
This is further demonstrated by the draft local government outcomes framework. There are currently no outcomes or indicators proposed for councils to reduce overall emissions. The last time English councils had national performance indicators on climate was in 2008-2010. Councils were measured on: CO₂ reduction from their operations; per capita reduction across their area; and adapting to climate change.

The rationale underpinning the 2008 indicators was that “action by local authorities is likely to be critical to the achievement of government’s climate change objectives”. But what has changed since 2008? Isn’t it more important now that councils and every part of the public sector should be racing to reduce emissions?

The Climate Change Committee thinks so. In its flagship 2021 report, it stated that local authorities influence over a third of emissions in their area, with estimates rising to 80 per cent since then. Why then is the government offering so little support to key partners who influence such a significant proportion of our emissions?

Specific initiatives and key government missions are also missing. Key parts of the Warm Homes Plan are meant to be delivered by councils but there are no outcomes on heat pump uptake, retrofit installations or the EPC ratings of domestic homes. This is data the government already collects, while the number of heat pumps installed could be tracked by how many grants are applied for.

Councils can be drivers of progress
Councils, as planning authorities and key supporters of community energy, will play a key role in reaching the 2030 clean energy mission. The government already collects data on new renewable energy systems and the relevant planning authority. It seems almost unbelievable that this wouldn’t be a key measure the government wants to track – yet, this is also missing.

Over the next few months the government has ample opportunities to change course. The English Devolution Bill provides the perfect vehicle for introducing a statutory climate duty and to provide more powers on climate and nature for mayoral and local authorities. Real joined up thinking would lead to measurable outcomes on reducing emissions in the local government framework, with indicators addressing the main missions of the government also included.

Councils have consistently asked the government for more powers, funding and guidance so they can tackle the climate crisis. Now, they have gone as far to call for more legal duties to do so and the government must meet the sector halfway by introducing climate statutory duties and indicators in the outcome framework.