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Nine Pioneering Councils To Work With Government To Develop Ambitous Plans To Tackle Climate Change At The Local
27 January 2010
Radical action by councils on driving down carbon emissions will help cut fuel bills and reduce global warming Communities Secretary John Denham said today, as he announced the nine pioneering local authorities that will work with Government to develop an ambitious programme of action to tackle climate change.
Manchester, Leeds City region, Bristol, Oxford, Northumberland, Haringey, Nottingham, Plymouth and Bournemouth Poole and Dorset MAA will work with Government over the coming twelve months to pioneer and test new local carbon frameworks. These councils will take centre stage in the UK's action to tackle climate change whilst residents in those areas will reap the benefits of large scale home insulation projects, alternative sources of energy and the emergence of greener communities which together could reduce fuel bills alongside wider benefits.
The frameworks will promote new and more effective ways of meeting Governments ambitions on the essential climate change agenda. The eventual aim is to incentivise all councils to significantly reduce their carbon emissions.
By working more closely with energy suppliers to develop ambitious plans for 'greening' up domestic and non-domestic properties, increasing the demand for renewable energy, considering how to increase the economic viability of new energy sources, boosting links to heat and energy schemes and make more effective use of surplus energy to power homes could potentially unlock new sources of income for local authorities.
John Denham is proposing that local carbon frameworks will involve councils:
* setting out a clear set of targets for action and a route for progress and milestones. Many of the councils involved have already set themselves stretching targets to reduce carbon emissions - 40 per cent reductions and higher by 2020. The frameworks will support ambitions for going even further, faster
* developing a clear strategy for how carbon reductions can be achieved. Robust and strongly evidence based; this strategy will need to articulate how the council will secure community buy in and involvement
* producing a delivery plan involving all its partners, including those outside the formal strategic partnership.
Plans might set out what action is needed on issues spanning recycling, energy efficiency, wind power, transport and more.
Councils would be expected to put together a prospectus setting out how they would develop and deliver a local carbon framework. This would be negotiated and agreed with Government. The prospectus will then be negotiated and agreed with Government. It will then be down to councils to take forward delivery and report on its achievements.
Local authorities will also be able to use their prospectus to set out an 'ask' of central government. Councils will be expected to maximise the use of their existing freedoms and flexibilities but Government is ready to offer additional help and support and look at what more can be done to help councils deliver.
The pilot authorities being announced today will work with Government to help develop and test the concept. Further pilot programmes will be developed in the coming months. £3m has been allocated to support the pilot programmes.
John Denham said:
"Green groups have long campaigned on the Think Global, Act Local slogan knowing that it is action taken in homes, in villages, towns and cities that will really deliver the change and the groundswell of support to make the difference on carbon emissions.
"Local authorities - through their oversight of housing, planning, waste, transport coupled with the significant spending power they possess - are uniquely positioned to use their role and influence to drive and shape a low carbon economy, low carbon living and influence the kind of behaviour change that will be needed to meet the UK commitment to the 34 percent cut in emissions on 1990 levels by 2020.
"Councils are already making huge advances on this agenda. We want all local authorities to take the lead on reducing emissions in their area. The nine authorities being named today are ready to help Government identify the support needed for all local authorities to follow the lead of the best, make sure unnecessary barriers to action are swept away, and identify the tools needed for local authorities to do the job.
"There are obvious benefits for local people both financially and in terms of quality of life and it is crucial that local authorities maximise these and involve local people every step of the way."
The potential for local authorities to go further than their current responsibilities around climate change was proposed in the Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation published in the summer. That document made the case for using greater opportunities for local leadership on climate change to put local government at the heart of high quality, innovative public services. The frameworks present the next stage in tackling climate change and offer the potential to transform the expectations of what local government is and what it does for people.
There is no suggestion that the framework is the only game in town however. Several councils are already leading innovative work including Woking which is one of the most energy efficient local authorities in the UK and boasts combined heat and energy centres along with thousands of electricity-generating cells on roofs across the borough. Kirklees operates a waste to energy plant, Manchester City Council published a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan in November setting out plans and for organisations and individuals to tackle climate change across the range of issues: energy, waste, transport, homes and business, and Southampton has been operating a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system for the last 20 years.
Ultimately John Denham wants to work with those authorities already engaged in this agenda and encourage them to do more but also raise the bar for all authorities and help them recognise the potential and maximise the advantages that are available.
For more information please visit: http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/33105
