Coalition pushes local authority net zero role

To be published before the COP26 climate summit in November, the government’s Net Zero Strategy will set out where carbon emissions savings will be made across the country.

The coalition says the power sector has already made “significant reductions” in carbon emissions, but argues local authorities have greater control over “key sectors” such as waste management in the push to decarbonise.

The coalition is made up of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), Ashden, Friends of the Earth, Grantham Institute at Imperial College, Green Alliance, Greenpeace UK, London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet), the Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN) and Solace.

The coalition has published a paper, supported by the Local Government Association and London Councils, outlining the role of local authorities as key partners in the Net Zero Strategy.

“The government will not meet its targets without the work of local authorities”

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Paula Hewitt
ADEPT

Paula Hewitt, ADEPT president, said: “The government will not meet its targets without the work of local authorities, and we want to ensure the transition to a low carbon society is just.

“As leaders in our areas, we bring together partnerships from across different sectors, as well as our communities, businesses, suppliers, strategic bodies and the voluntary sector.

“No-one else has the reach, the levels of trust or ability to provide targeted support that will encourage and enable behavioural change.”

Priorities

The coalition called on the government to adopt four priorities to ensure the success of the Net Zero Strategy:

1. A clear commitment to a “mutually agreed central framework” to embed local authorities as delivery partners in decarbonisation policies. Local government needs long-term, stable funding, realistic timeframes and sufficient support to deliver at both pace and scale, the coalition said.
2. A clear message that a “place-based solution” is the best approach for several sectors to ensure that local infrastructure, behaviour and partnership activities are aligned to net zero.
3. A cross-departmental approach to working with local authorities. The current siloed approach is a continuous struggle for local authorities and without a collaborative approach there is a risk that national net zero goals will not be met, the coalition said. Any contradictions in policies and funding programmes must be removed.
4. Acknowledgement of the wider co-benefits of delivering on decarbonisation policies, and how local authorities can support these in a way that will also deliver better public health, reduce inequalities, restore nature and build thriving local economies.

Local authorities

The coalition called for behavioural change as well as the delivery of low carbon solutions, and claims local government is “best-placed” to influence communities due to holding “closer relationships” than central government.

Local authorities have “huge influence” over emissions through their procurement, the coalition said, which it claimed was worth at least £63 billion in 2019/20 and accounts for 70-80% of an individual council’s carbon footprint.

LEDNet is the membership association for London boroughs’ environment directors. The group’s chair, Victoria Lawson, said: “Covid-19 pandemic showed how important local action is and how rapidly local authorities can respond to major challenges.

“For the climate crisis, the role of local authorities and their relationship with local communities is vital and we have the opportunity to galvanise our communities to respond to the climate challenges ahead.

“We have demonstrated our collective ambition to respond to the climate emergency and it is important we are given the opportunities to deliver change for our communities.”

Waste sector

The coalition issued its demands just days after the Environmental Services Association (ESA) targeted the waste sector reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade earlier than the government’s deadline (see letsrecycle.com story).

As the trade association representing the UK’s resource and waste management sector, the ESA said this would reduce the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 8%.

To help reach the target, the association’s members will invest £10 billion into recycling infrastructure, to “drive up recycling rates and cut down waste”.

Related links
Recognising local authorities as key partners in the Net Zero Strategy