Nearly 700,000 new ‘green’ jobs could be created by 2030 if councils are given a greater role in local job creation, the LGA has said.
Councils would require local control over skills and employment support, with increased investment to create and secure green jobs for young people and adults.
The LGA is calling for local government to lead on the coordination of all key partners, such as business, training providers, communities and services, to ensure green skills and employment targets are being met in local areas.
Some of the largest increases in green and low-carbon jobs are projected to be in the North East, Devon, Cornwall, and Yorkshire and the Humber, according to an LGA report produced in collaboration with Ecuity Consulting, which predicts 1.18 million new jobs being created in low-carbon sectors by 2050 in England.
Mayor Marvin Rees, Chair of the LGA’s City Regions Board, said: “As these figures show, with the right tools and funding, councils can help drive a boom in the green economy as part of a just transition for jobs, which will be a huge boost to help the UK transition to net zero by 2050.
“The Government has rightly outlined the need to prevent skills shortages during the net-zero transition.
“To help meet national climate change targets and capitalise on the green jobs revolution potential, councils need to be given long-term funding, devolved powers and easier access to complex government funding pots, to help realise national climate ambitions and ensure that communities are greener places to live for future generations.”