Council action on climate change can help counter rising energy prices
It doesn’t feel like a year since the LGA sent a delegation of senior councillors, led by our Chairman Cllr James Jamieson, our Chief Executive Mark Lloyd and me, to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Much has happened since then, not least the war in Ukraine, rocketing energy prices and a cost-of-living crisis.
However, climate action can help tackle rising energy prices and their effect on the cost of living in the medium to longer term.
COP26 showcased Glasgow and the UK at its best, with an impressive international delegation and a well-executed conference.
It was also a great success for councils and the LGA.
Working with our European local government colleagues, we got the important role of local government and local communities referenced in the Glasgow Climate Pact, the agreement reached at COP26.
We also showcased local government climate action, and the LGA’s Net Zero Programme was highly commended at the Climate Change Challenge Cup.
The UK’s updated ‘nationally determined contribution’ to cutting emissions also includes a paragraph on the essential role local authorities play in driving action to tackle climate change.
Over the past year, the LGA has maintained the pressure on government to move forward in delivering the transition to net zero, positioning it as central to future growth.
Working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, we have established the Local Net Zero Forum with a wide representation from local government. The forum is cross-departmental, enabling our climate messages and asks to reach across government. The LGA also has a seat on the Net Zero Buildings Council.
The LGA’s Climate Change Task Group has pushed for new funding streams, such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, to have realistic lead-in times and delivery deadlines, and, ideally, to not be competitive.
And it is looking forward to hopefully meeting new Climate Minister Graham Stuart in the coming months.
The LGA is spearheading the case for the local path to net zero.
Working with the National Housing Federation, we commissioned a project on hard-to-decarbonise social homes . The good news is there is only a small percentage of social homes that are hard to decarbonise, and this number can be further reduced with minor government interventions.
We have funded research into neighbourhood approaches to decarbonising buildings and transport, including council case studies, which will be launched at a webinar on 15 November.
And we have asked Energy Systems Catapult, an independent not-for-profit, to design an approach whereby central and local government can work together on decarbonising heat and buildings by 2050.
We are also commissioning a piece of work to investigate, understand and present what local government would like to see from the next UK National Adaptation Programme, due in 2023.
COP27, if you weren’t aware, is being held in Egypt from 6-18 November.
The LGA won’t be sending a delegation, but we will be communicating and showcasing the great work our council membership is doing to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to support government on the journey to net zero.
This includes updating our Pass the Planet campaign with new case studies aligning with both COP26 and COP27 goals, an updated interactive map, social media posts and our neighbourhood decarbonisation webinar.