Report produced by Mark Dempsey

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Contextual summary

"While the public sector accounts for a relatively small percentage of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions, it has a crucial role to play in the fight against climate change …"
(Climate Change Draft UK Programme: DETR, 2000 p108)

The Government has identified a key role for Local Authorities in its strategy for combating Climate Change. This role comprises of reducing emissions from and the energy efficiency of it's own estate, managing municipal waste in a more sustainable manner, encouraging the development of local travel plans and meeting targets for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss the role of Local Government in the context of the LA21 process. Three provocateurs were selected in order to launch the debate - one from regional government, one from local government and one an independent local government consultant. The workshop identified measures that Local Authorities were taking in the context of mitigation and adaptation. The discussion also identified some crucial barriers to the effectiveness of Local Authorities Climate Change response.

Provocateurs Position Statements

Martin Boulton, Sustainable Communities Officer, Government Office for the South West

Local authorities have an important role in helping to mitigate climate change. Urban areas are enormous emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and contribute significantly to climate change.

Local authorities are important partners in climate protection because they have jurisdiction over so many matters that influence energy consumption and CO2 emissions, such as planning and land use, transport, air quality management, waste management, and building regulations. In addition, local government is the level of government closest to the people and through Local Agenda 21 and community planning processes citizens can be educated about the relevance of their actions for the global environment and build consensus for local climate protection measures. Local authorities should be developing and implementing local action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They can adopt programs that reduce local energy use and at the same time save money, create jobs and make urban areas healthier.

Local Authorities are also large energy users themselves and are responsible for significant CO2 emissions. They can encourage reduced CO2 emissions in their area by setting an example to industrial and commercial energy users by implementing their own energy efficiency programmes and looking at the purchase and use of cleaner forms of energy (e.g. renewable energy and Combined Heat and Power).

In summary, local authorities have a key role in helping central government meet their commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Their actions and the recognition of the benefits achievable through climate change programmes are crucial for achieving any significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

Pippa Bennett, Local and Regional Programme Consultant, Forum for the Future

Amidst the doom and gloom surrounding much of the debate on climate change there is a less media-attractive voice highlighting the opportunities this global crisis presents. These opportunities are not to be dismissed as new millennium 'Pollyanna' syndrome - in fact, if we can't respond with vision and courage to the challenges climate change presents, we might as well pack our case and wait for the next meteor out of here.

In the UK, key participants in the response to climate change are local authorities. In its UK Climate Change Programme, the Government has clearly identified this role for local authorities, highlighting the fact that they are ' uniquely placed to provide leadership and vision to their local communities' and have ' a wide range of responsibilities and contacts which means that they are critical to the delivery of this programme'. Easy to say. For local authorities to fulfill this role they will have to make some brave decisions at strategic levels and ensure that climate change issues inform their corporate objectives, instigate clear local targets for emissions reductions, and motivate many areas of their planning and activities.

Effective Local Agenda 21 processes and strategies will have begun to tackle a range of issues related to climate change and established productive partnerships, which will be of particular value for local authorities in devising their corporate approach. Those authorities which met the Government deadline for Local Agenda 21 strategies in December should therefore already have in place a framework for helping them to achieve their own local targets and establish corporate objectives in regard to climate change issues. But there is now another exciting opportunity for Local Agenda 21 to influence corporate policy and local action. In its recent guidance on preparing Community Strategies and in its new Best Value Performance Indicators, the Government explicitly makes the connections between LA21 and Community Strategies and the need for those working in LA21 to be fully involved from the start of the planning process.

The new duty of Community Strategies, with its accompanying 'power' of well being, presents an ideal opportunity for local authorities to respond with innovation and creativity to climate change and engage a range of partners in promoting and implementing this response. The Government acknowledges this opportunity in its recent guidance on preparing Community Strategies, noting that these strategies should take account of national and global concerns 'such as the mitigation of climate change'. Guided by LA21, and building on the partnerships and processes already operating under this banner, the community planning process should already be off to a flying start in many localities. And effective partnerships and integrated planning will be essential if opportunities are not to be missed and communities demoralised by the stick without the carrot. Most local authorities and employers know, for example, that there is little chance of mobilising general support for the introduction of congestion or workplace parking charges, even under the 'worthy' umbrella of climate protection, if there is no viable transport alternative for those affected.

Many local authorities have already established area and community councils and fora as part of both LA21 and the relatively recent community planning process, and such structures, at their best, enable constructive dialogue and a stimulate a renewed interest and belief in the importance of local democracy. These fora can play a key role in sharing information and promoting discussion about climate change issues and provide a vehicle for moving towards consensus in regard to the actions that might be implemented on a local level. This is particularly important in the light of the sometimes unhelpful language used in the public arena regarding climate change, which can make the non scientific community feel excluded from the debate and powerless to effect change in their own lives.

As the community fora established to develop Community Strategies are often under the guidance of a local councillor, the role of elected members in facilitating local discussion on climate change is of great importance. Adequate training is thus essential for both members and local authority officers involved in community planning to feel that they are properly equipped to deliver the key messages and encourage change in their communities. The necessary knowledge and skills required for such training can, for many local authorities, be found in their own LA21 officers and the network of LA21 fora operating at the local and regional level.

To conclude, an integrated approach to Local Agenda 21 and Community Strategies offers a unique opportunity for local authorities to engage other local agencies and local communities in a partnership to develop positive strategies and actions for climate protection - actions that secure benefits on a local, national and global scale.

John Webster & Carol Rabbette, Cheltenham Borough Council

While all local authorities in the South West are aware of the issues surrounding Climate Change, and will be undertaking a range of activities designed to reduce their own contribution to global warming and that of their communities, few will have developed these ad hoc initiatives into a strategic adaptation and mitigation response, with detailed targets and monitoring of impact.

Most authorities will be reducing their use of energy in Council buildings and in their fleet vehicles. Some will be purchasing their energy from green or renewable sources. Through HECA strategies local authorities will be developing initiatives to reduce domestic energy use, and address fuel poverty. They will be using their links with the business community to encourage better 'green housekeeping'. Local authorities will also be using Local Plan polices and the Building Regulations to encourage new development to address energy and transport issues.

Authorities with responsibility for transport and highway matters will be endeavouring to deliver Local Transport Plans designed to reduce unnecessary car use in order to reduce greenhouse gases and improve local air quality. Many authorities will be developing Green Transport Plans to encourage their staff to reduce their transport impacts, and will be working with local employers to encourage them to do likewise.

In response to local conditions and problems, many authorities will also be thinking more proactively about how their communities will need to adapt to climate change. Flood prevention measures may be high on the list for areas prone to flooding. Others may be considering the need for new settlement patterns and to promote more self-sufficient communities, and the impact on agriculture and biodiversity.

All of these mitigation and adaptation activities will fall under the Local Agenda 21 umbrella, as measures supported by the local community to improve quality of life in their area for current and future generations. In Cheltenham we have used our corporate strategy process to develop an embryonic community strategy, which sets out our long-term objectives for the town with the support of local groups and agencies. We are endeavouring to deliver many climate change measures through 'Our Town, our future - Cheltenham 2000 to 2005'.

Only a few authorities will, however, be implementing them as part of a comprehensive Climate Change local action plan. Although the leadership and community strategy requirements of the Local Government Act will enable local authorities to respond more proactively, we are limited by resource constraints, especially staff, to develop this area of work at a time when local government is still struggling to cope with all the statutory changes introduced since the last general election.

We are also constrained by the limited political commitment to the climate change agenda. Although this is a high profile issue with organisations supporting local government, and is something that the DETR and John Prescott take very seriously, there is still no statutory requirement to develop strategic responses to climate change. The Government may have high expectations on local authorities being able to take action on climate change, but with limited powers specifically for this, it is difficult to see how many authorities will be able to provide the resources to deliver a more strategic approach to this highly complex issue.

Workshop Discussion

Why are Local Authorities interested in Climate Change? What are the impacts of Climate Change on local government and the impacts of local government on Climate Change?

• There is significant personal interest from people within Local Government. Most LA21 officers are keen environmentalists. In addition the recent floods have demonstrated to Local Authorities the consequences that Climate Change will have on their resources in terms of increased numbers of emergencies.
  
  
• Local Authorities have the opportunity to take a lead role in the community response to Climate Change. Local Authorities have developed partnerships of stakeholder to provide a network of people that understand Climate Change. Local Authorities are already doing a lot to combat Climate Change. However the problem is that action is often too small scale and that only a narrow band of people are involved in projects.
  
  
• Local Authorities need to become practitioners of sustainable development. The planning and development process often acts as an obstacle to measures designed to tackle or adapt to Climate Change. Involving the public is also vital.
  
  
• Local Authorities are gatekeepers to initiatives as well as active agents in their won right in controlling their won buildings and administering infrastructure such as waste disposal systems. The way Local Authorities control the waste disposal system has significant implications for methane emissions, CO2 emissions and the meeting of other sustainability objectives such as the reduction of landfill. There is a lot that Local Authorities can do off their own backs without requiring a grass routes push from the electorate. However there are circumstances where they must consult people, such as the acceptability of incinerators.
  
  
• Local authorities tended to focus their interest of sustainability in the past on highly visible projects as a photo opportunity, for example investment in solar panels or a windmill. Measures must be on a much bigger scale to tackle Climate Change.
  
  
• Need to be more optimistic and less obsessed with the 'us and them' syndrome inherent within academia, planning and local government. The general public do understand the issues of Climate Change. According to a MORI Poll 80 per cent of people are willing to buy renewable energy and 20 per cent of people are willing to pay more for the privilege. There is a risk that people's instincts that tackling Climate Change makes good business sense are ignored.

Is local government doing enough to tackle Climate Change both in terms of mitigation and adaptation? If it is not doing enough, why is this so?

• From the renewable energy perspective there are two strategic issues for local government to address. Firstly does local government want to burden share and adopt developments in its area or does it want to adopt a NIMBY attitude. Secondly there is a golden opportunity for long-term employment provided by the innovation of biomass energy crops. Are Local Authorities going to take advantage of these developments? Decisions will not wait more than a year before certain forward thinking Local Authorities take them up.
  
  
• What does enough mean? Is 20% enough or are 70% or 80% CO2 reductions as the century goes on going to be required. There is a danger that targets are set for the next ten years but do not look beyond that. Local Authorities should have a carbon neutral vision and be targeting becoming carbon neutral by the end of the century. Otherwise targets can be very inadequate.
  
  
• Local Authorities are not doing enough. Some are flagships. For example on energy Woking Borough are commissioning a city centre wide heating and cooling system with the worlds first fuel cell powered Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit. However they have not adopted passive solar design. No one Local Authority is moving forward on a holistic front partly due to resources and expertise but mainly due to the lack of political will.
  
  
• Local Authorities need to set an example and put their own house in order. However it is frustrating as when officers tell members how much it will cost they are shown the door. Targets for renewable energy are ridiculously low. For example in the county of Somerset there is a target for only ten wind turbines. However the Local Authority is trying to take a positive attitude to renewable energy by installing wind turbines to power the council offices, and taking a favourable approach to planning applications for wind turbines on farmland. Wind turbines can enhance the landscape.

What are the priority areas? Are there frustrations in sorting out Local Authorities environmental performance? Are there interdepartmental tensions between for example LA21 and Highways Department on road developments?

• There are very few organisations or Local Authorities that are taking advantage of the opportunities of doing things to benefit the environment that are economically advantageous, are well within their technological capabilities and have no down side. They do not put enough thought into processes at the right stage. For example very few building developments or refurbishments produce buildings that are as energy efficient as they could be.
  
  
• There has to be a modernisation of local government. The mechanisms within local government are not flexible enough. Local government has traditionally worked in a non-integrated way. Therefore the links between issues are very difficult to establish hence the need for new ways of working such as partnerships. Finally local government is not democratic enough - elections are not inclusive enough and the government is right to insist on a modernisation agenda.

What are the barriers and problems to tackling Climate Change? What are the research needs to overcome these obstacles?

• Need more vision. Need LA22 to set the agenda for the next century.
  
  
• On the construction side the education system in the country has resulted in engineers and planners being confined within their boxes. Education needs to broaden people's horizons. People who set the National Curriculum need to be more aware of Climate Change. The new Citizenship classes may play a key part in this.
  
  
• Wiltshire County Council employs a LA21 officer but each of the options within their waste strategy includes incineration. Even when a paper showing that the waste strategy could have total recycling the waste committee stated that people would not adopt kerbside recycling. Therefore often LA21 officers are wasted, as the politicians are not listening.
  
  
• Forum for the Future have been involved with Engineers for the 21st Century in order to educate the profession on sustainability and look at the longer-term impacts. Local Strategic Partnerships are an opportunity to involve people with Climate Change.
  
  
• It is crucial that we make Climate Change the number one political priority locally, nationally and internationally in order that all decisions are made within that context.

Conclusion

The workshop discussion highlighted the division in opinion between those that see Local Authorities as failing to tackle Climate Change and those on the opposite side of the fence that see Local Authorities as leading the community response to mitigating against and adapting to the implications of a changing climate.

On the positive side Local Authorities are seen as a linchpin in tackling Climate Change. They have a lead role to play in providing leadership and vision to their communities, establishing partnerships for action, undertaking practical projects as well as being gatekeepers to other initiatives. There is significant enthusiasm within Local Authorities for the issue of Climate Change, which has manifested itself in the development of flagship projects. Local Authorities have a key role to play as agents for the environment in terms of administering waste disposal and environmental regulation. Local Authorities also manage a significant building stock including municipal housing as well as council offices, which have implications for Local Authorities own environmental performance.

However on the negative side it is cited that Local Authorities reaction to Climate Change has been weak, narrow in its scope and poorly resourced. Too few people have been engaged in the LA21 process and the political will and money at the local level for fundamental change has been lacking. Political systems are often fragmented which can lead to Local Authorities working against their own policies. Politicians are accused of not listening to the advice of their own officers. Targets are too low and even measures that are economically advantageous are often not adopted. Action that takes place is often of a token nature.

The challenge for Local Authorities will be to rationalise ad hoc LA21activities into a comprehensive well-resourced policy response to the challenges of Climate Change. Local Authorities must also muster widespread support for these policies and it will be crucial to secure political will to reinforce this agenda. Building partnerships with the community under the banner of Community Strategies is seen as a crucial plank in this strategy in order to mobilise general support for policies to tackle Climate Change.

In conclusion, local authorities have a key role in helping central government meet their commitments to tackle Climate Change. However fundamental change is needed to develop positive strategies and actions for climate protection - change that requires more political commitment to the climate change agenda and for Local Authorities to engage local agencies and local communities in a partnership approach. It is crucial that political will and public support underpin policies and practices to manage the challenges of Climate Change. For this to happen Climate Change must become the number one political priority.

Mark Dempsey
Geography and Environmental Management Research Unit
Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education
March 2001