Last month, I was privileged to be part of the LGA delegation to COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, alongside our Chairman, Cllr James Jamieson, Cllr David Renard, Chairman of the LGA’s Environment, Economy, Housing and Transport Board, and colleagues from the other political groups.
It was great that the LGA was present at such a high-profile event, including in both the Green Zone, the public-facing part, and the Blue Zone, where the formal negotiations took place.
With the LGA having led the calls for a dedicated local and regional government day, we were delighted to participate in the Cities, Regions and the Built Environment Day, which, alongside our exhibition stand, provided a great opportunity to highlight the excellent work being undertaken by the sector to tackle climate change and move towards net zero.
We were also pleased that the final text of the conference recognised the urgent need for multilevel and co-operative action and the important role of local and regional governments in relation to this.
My abiding memories of the conference will be of people from across the world coming together with a common purpose, as well as the recognition from many foreign delegates that the UK is a world leader in the fight against climate change.
In partnership with the excellent COP26 President, Alok Sharma, who remains in post for another year, it is now incumbent on us to work together to ensure that the agreements made at the conference are implemented.