Our offer to Government

Councils want to work as essential partners with Government to tackle climate change.

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Working with the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) we have established the Local Net Zero Forum with a wide representation from Local Government. The Forum is cross-departmental enabling our climate messages and asks to reach across government.

Councils are fundamental to transitioning our places and empowering our communities and businesses to a net zero future. They are well placed to translate national climate ambitions into action on the ground through the following ways:

Placeshaping

Places are intrinsically local and councils are the master planners.

Local planning authorities not only deliver quality homes but shape environments that are sustainable and ensure people have access to the right infrastructure, transport, connectivity and services.

This can support Government by:

Ensuring a just transition to net zero through their unique knowledge of place and people
Embedding carbon reduction measures in the housing and building sector
Improving air quality
Transforming transport networks to low carbon and active modes
Delivering on the energy transition in large-scale renewable energy and low carbon heat sources

1/3

Local authorities have powers or influence over roughly a third of emissions in their local areas

Purchasing powers and market shaping

Procurement is a key power that councils have to deliver net zero.

Councils are already fostering innovation in procurement and increasingly harnessing commercial opportunities to attract private investment.

Through commissioning, councils bring together public, private and voluntary partners that shapes the market to best meet the needs of communities.

This can support Government by:

Mobilising private investment into net zero delivery
Building capacity in the market for low carbon goods and services through public-private partnerships
Develop and mature local skills and supply chains, particularly for small providers and the voluntary sector

£64bn

Local government third party spend in 2020/21 was around £64 billion

Problem solving and direct delivery

Every place is unique. Different localities have different geographies, demographics, infrastructure and resources.

For centuries, councils have demonstrated an ability to capitalise on local assets and opportunities to deliver local solutions to local challenges.

This can support Government by:

Providing a repository of local knowledge and understanding to work out how to deliver net zero solutions on the ground
Offering pilots for innovative projects that can de-risk, develop new business models, and test new technologies
Drive wider roll out and scaling up of low carbon solutions

72%

LGA polling in February 2022 found 72 per cent of respondents most trusted their local councils compared to 13 per cent that most trusted government when it came to local decision making

Assets

Councils are landlords and significant asset-owners.

Many councils have their own building stock, whether that’s council-owned housing or commercial and institutional buildings such as retail units, schools and leisure centres. They are also considerable landowners in the UK.

This can support Government by:

Providing existing pipelines of infrastructure for shovel-ready carbon reduction projects in buildings
Being early adopters to test new technologies for scaling up
Developing low carbon skills, markets and supply chains

27,000

Councils are responsible for an estimated 27,000 parks and green spaces

Convenors and communicators

Councils are convenors and communicators for businesses and civil society.

Their responsibilities as frontline service providers and strategic place makers mean that councils have a longstanding ability to collaborate and build cohesion with local partners and residents, including those most vulnerable.

Community capacity and cohesion issues will arise in the transition to net zero and it is only at the local level that these can be addressed.

This can support Government by:

Empowering communities and particularly vulnerable groups to mitigate and adapt to climate change
Translating national climate messages locally and reaching hard-to-reach groups
Building public consent for disruptive change in the transition to net zero
Empowering people and businesses to change their behaviour

62%

As much as 62 per cent of the future reduction in emissions will rely on individual choices and behaviours