25.09.19
Local councils need power and funding to hit climate change goals
Local councils are dependent on long-term government funding pots and more devolved powers if they have a chance and meeting national climate change targets, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said today.
Including the LGA, which represents councils across England and Wales, 230 councils have declared a climate emergency. Many of them are working on taking their local area into a zero-carbon future. By introducing sustainability in their local development plans, they are doing what they can to prioritise the issue.
Despite the efforts and successful innovations made by councils, the LGA said that without the long-term funding and more powers from central government, their progress is being limited.
A leading example of this is in the strive for better air quality and less pollution. Councils do not have control of the roads and bus routes, some of which are operated by Highways England, meaning they cannot make real transformation to meet their target on the issue.
On the occasions that funding is available, is it still difficult to move forwards as councils are restrained by overly intricate bureaucracy in order to access it.
The deal suggested by the LGA is for the Government to set up a joint national taskforce made up of local leaders and specific government departments that would help them reach their climate change goals.
These would include the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport.
The taskforce would be able to outline the necessary funding, legislation and policy changes needed to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2030, but without all of the aforementioned complications.
The message from the LGA is for the government to move towards local funding pots led by councils, invest more in the concessionary bus fares scheme, and put the planning and development rights into the hands of councils and communities.
Councillor David Renard, LGA environment spokesman, said:
“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet and councils are best placed to respond to the public’s growing concern about this and other burning environmental issues moving further to the top of the Prime Minister’s in-tray.
“Local government cannot work alone. To achieve the ambition of net zero carbon emissions, councils will need further powers and sustainable funding, including easier access to government funding streams, to deliver national policies which impact on climate change locally.
“A joint national taskforce led by councils would harness the critical partnership between local and national government to coordinate and drive climate change action for the benefit of communities, the country and the planet.”
The LGA is calling for government collaboration regarding energy efficiency, unrecyclable waste, electric vehicles, solar energy and the review of the Environmental Bill. All with the end goal of tackling climate change as quickly and resourcefully as possible.