Briefings and responses

We welcome the reintroduction of the Environment Bill. A legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic must be that we, as a nation, grasp the opportunity to protect and enhance our natural environment, and tackle the climate emergency.

The LGA welcomes the opportunity to continue to contribute to the consultations on resources and waste reforms, first set out in the Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy. Here we set out an overview of the LGA’s response to the package of reforms.

It is vital that we continue to improve air quality, protect against flooding, and ensure our transport, waste and energy policies are environmentally sustainable.

Net-zero can only be achieved with decarbonisation happening in every place across the country – that’s every household, community, business, and local economy.

We welcome the reintroduction of the Environment Bill. The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic must be that we, as a nation, grasp the opportunity to protect and enhance our natural environment, and tackle the climate emergency. It is vital that we continue to improve air quality, protect against flooding, and ensure our transport, waste and energy policies are environmentally sustainable.

The aspirations of the Environment Bill could be undermined by the Government’s Planning White Paper. The White Paper proposes substantial changes to the planning system, and it is unclear at this stage what the implications for the system of biodiversity net gain will be. Government will need to work in a coordinated way to ensure that the system of biodiversity net gain can work in practice in any reformed planning system.

This overview will provide a summary of the key themes that emerged during the morning and afternoon session on 18 September 2020, as well as some practical advice identified by participants.

We need to continue to improve air quality, protect against flooding, and ensure our transport, planning, waste and energy policies are sustainable. The LGA is committed to supporting local government to continue on this journey, particularly as we begin the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The LGA is committed to supporting local government to continue on this journey, and our climate change hub brings together an overview of our sector-led improvement offer of support to help councils continue to provide strong local leadership on this important issue.

We support the intention of the Government’s proposals to future-proof new build homes with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency. The Government’s manifesto commitment for a £3.8 billion capital Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is positive. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure effective implementation.