There are serious weaknesses in central government’s approach to working with local authorities on decarbonisation, according to the National Audit Office.
Its report, ‘Local government and net zero in England’, says that while the exact scale and nature of local authorities’ roles and responsibilities in reaching the UK’s national net-zero target are to be decided, it is clear that they have an important part to play – because of their powers and responsibilities for waste, local transport and social housing, and through their influence in local communities.
Government departments have supported councils’ net-zero work through targeted support and funding. But weaknesses stemming from a lack of clarity over local authorities’ overall roles, piecemeal funding, and diffuse accountabilities hamper local authorities’ ability to plan effectively for the long term, build skills and capacity, and prioritise effort.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, the LGA’s Environment Spokesperson, said the report includes some key recommendations about achieving net zero by 2050.
“Councils are uniquely placed to shape their local areas and translate national climate ambitions into transformative action on the ground,” he said.
“We have previously called for a national fiscal and policy framework to address the climate emergency, which should outline responsibilities for national and local government, with a commitment from national government to work closely with local public sector bodies.
“Net zero can only be achieved if decarbonisation happens in every place, community and household. Long-term funding for councils would mean they can plan ahead properly on the needs of their local communities to support this.”