Memorandum submitted by the Local Government
Association (CCB 28)
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
1.1 Councils are already on the frontline
in the climate change challenge, leading the way on energy and
water conservation, waste, flooding and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. The LGA has appointed leading energy economist Professor
John Chesshire OBE to chair a Climate Change Commission to investigate
how councils can best cut emissions in their own buildings and
services, lead local action, and plan for and build capacity to
adapt to climate change.
1.2 LGA key messages on draft Climate Change
Bill
— Councils are already taking
action on climate change. The LGA is now looking to go further
with an independent Climate Change Commission for Local Government
to investigate how councils can best cut their emissions, lead
local action, and plan for and build capacity to adapt to climate
change.
— The LGA strongly supported proposals
in the Local Government White Paper for a national outcome on
climate change within the new performance framework for councils.
The creation of statutory national targets and carbon budgets
to aid progress to a 60% carbon reduction by 2050 is another positive
step. Defra must now work with us to support councils and their
partners in setting targets through the Local Area Agreements
that are consistent with this national ambition.
— Ministers must guarantee that
any carbon trading scheme for local government will be developed
in partnership with council leaders. It is critical that such
a scheme complements the new local performance framework rather
than merely duplicating its effects at higher cost.
— The LGA urges the Government
to make a firm commitment to providing a place for local government
on the proposed Climate Change Committee. Given the central role
in delivering this agenda and on-the-ground expertise, local government
representation is essential if the Committee is to effectively
"present the economics of the costs, benefits and risks of
abatement decisions."
— Government must now place a
much greater emphasis on adaptation, with support to councils
in identifying risk and mapping vulnerabilities if we are to minimise
the costs resulting from failure to plan for change. The proposed
five yearly reviews of progress on adaptation must make an initial
report as soon as possible if the process is provide leadership
and support action at the local level.
1.3 Local Government's role in tackling climate
change
There are number of specific actions that councils
are already undertaking to mitigate against and adapt to climate
change. These include:
— taking action to reduce council
greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency and
use of green energy;
— tackling transport related emissions
through green travel plans and local transport plans that promote
low carbon fuels or alternatives to car travel. These include
public transport and community planning to reduce the need to
travel;
— partnership working with all
sectors of the community, including business, the voluntary sector
and government and other agencies working on the environment—for
example using Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships
to deliver climate change priorities;
— using the planning and building
control system to promote sustainable buildings in new developments
and an increase in onsite renewables and microgeneration;
— setting procurement strategies
to green the acquisition and use of council goods and services
and to influence community choices towards greener goods and services,
such as locally produced food;
— tackling fuel poverty through
adopting affordable warmth strategies that also help tackle climate
change;
— tackling waste to reduce absolute
levels and improve recycling and reuse rates, and looking at waste
to energy options;
— using the education system to
raise an environmentally aware generation and to link to parents
and other sectors of the community through schools, colleges and
other learning settings; and
— building capacity for and planning
strategies for adapting to climate change.
1.4 The LGA's Climate Change Commission
was launched on 9 March 2007 and is chaired by Professor John
Chesshire OBE with six other commissioners from leading roles
across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
1.5 The Commission's objectives are to:
— Review and critically evaluate
local government's track record on climate change, and identify
the factors which have contributed to and hampered local government's
effectiveness;
— Make recommendations for local
government, central government and other organisations on how
the local government response could be improved;
— Raise the local government profile
in responding to climate change, to all local authorities, central
government and the public.
1.6 Professor Chesshire and the Commission
are expected to publish a short, interim report in July and a
full set of findings by the end of 2007. The Commission will also
consult with councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Commissioners are looking forward to engagement with government
and parliament.
2. TARGETS
2.1 The LGA supports the creation of statutory
national targets and carbon budgets for progress to a 60% carbon
reduction by 2050. This will provide certainty over government
intentions and re-affirm the UK's commitment to taking real action
to meet our climate change goals. The appropriate timescale for
setting and reporting on targets must be based on the need to
drive harder and faster action, in partnership with local authorities,
against climate change.
2.2 The Local Government White Paper proposed
a simplification of the performance framework with a clear set
of national outcomes reflecting national priorities, a maximum
of 200 performance indicators, and targets negotiated through
Local Area Agreements. Local Government is confident that this
will ensure that effective action is taken on climate change at
the local level. It will, in effect, provide a mandatory scheme
for the sector with published, audited results and public transparency
on performance at individual council level.
2.3 The LGA hopes that Government departments
and offices will now work with us to support councils and their
partners in setting targets through Local Area Agreements that
are consistent with this national ambition.
2.4 Local authorities can play a central
role in partnership working with all sectors of the community,
including business, the voluntary sector and government and other
agencies working on the environment.
2.5 Kirklees Metropolitan Council has set
up "energy services companies" with revolving loan funds
to enable installation of energy efficiency and renewables measures
in the homes of local residents. By providing appropriate pay-back
periods they created a win-win for the environment and for the
end users who get cheaper energy bills. The council has also announced
this spring that it is funding schemes to enable all householders
in the area to benefit from cost effective insulation.
2.6 Southampton, Nottingham and Sheffield
Councils have installed extensive "district heating schemes"
serving council buildings, retail, industrial and residential
areas. Such schemes are energy efficient in both generation efficiencies
and in taking a step towards a more decentralised energy network.
3. CARBON BUDGETING
3.1 For carbon budgets to be meaningfully
translated into action there needs to be an accurate measurement
of emissions and ability to understand where it is most appropriate
to focus action to reduce emissions, so that budgets are not exceeded.
Issues such as banking or borrowing from budgets need to be resolved
so that perverse incentives are not inadvertently engineered.
3.2 The new performance framework for Local
Government proposed in the Local Government White Paper will drive
an outcome on climate change that can help to meet national targets
through action at local level. We now need agreement on which
areas of control and influence are appropriate for assessing council
performance.
4. ADAPTATION
4.1 Government must now place a much greater
emphasis on adaptation, with support to councils in identifying
risk and mapping vulnerabilities if we are to minimise the costs
resulting from failure to plan for change. The proposed five yearly
reviews of progress on adaptation must make an initial report
as soon as possible if the process is to provide leadership and
support action at the local level.
4.2 Councils can provide coordination for
planning and building capacity to adapt to climate change, not
only through service delivery but also as community leaders. Councils
now need to be supported in planning for change through:
— building on Local Government
White Paper proposals for a greater council focus on climate change
both in their own performance and in their work with their Local
Strategic Partnerships;
— Implementation of the White
Paper proposals for a duty on specific partners to co-operate
with councils in partnership arrangements;
— a greater focus on risk and
mapping vulnerabilities, and the need to minimise exposure to
costs from failure to plan for change;
— support for best practice schemes
and national bodies working with councils to develop models for
adaptation.
4.3 Devon County Council is already undertaking
a local vulnerability mapping approach to ensure that it and its
citizens are aware of, and have the capacity to respond to, potential
extreme weather events.
5. COMMITTEE
ON CLIMATE
CHANGE
5.1 The LGA supports the establishment of
an independent Committee to provide expert advice to government
on the reduction of CO2 emissions. It is vital that
the impact of policy decisions is fully and expertly evaluated
and that robust advice underpins the budget setting process.
5.2 The LGA will be urging the government
to ensure that the on-the-ground experience of councils is represented,
with a place for an individual with council experience on the
Committee. This will be vital if the Committee is to effectively
"present the economics of the costs, benefits and risks of
abatement decisions." Local government is not only a key
partner in delivering real cuts in emissions but also provides
access to expertise and experience. It has a real focus on the
ability to deliver at sub regional and local level on national
objectives.
6. ENABLING POWERS
6.1 The LGA will be seeking a commitment
from Minister to ensure that any carbon trading scheme for local
government will be developed in partnership with council leaders.
It is critical that such a scheme complements the new local performance
framework rather than merely duplicating its effects at higher
cost.
6.2 The Local Government sector must have
the opportunity to give in-depth consideration to any new instruments
for reducing emissions in order to ensure that they do not duplicate
other instruments already in operation.
6.3 Councils can deliver a step change in
reducing carbon emissions from their own buildings and fleet,
but, in addition to new mechanisms, the 2007 Comprehensive Spending
Review must provide for significant expansion of up-front finance
to put in place energy efficiency measures and renewables. Also,
if councils are going to be able to maximise the impetus of the
proposed Comprehensive Area Assessment performance framework they
need to be able to have sufficient relief from resource pressures
to build in-house capacity and expertise as well as funding to
deliver measures.
6.4 Shropshire County Council is already
developing bio-fuels for use in its own fleet of vehicles. It
has also become the first council to offer for sale 100% biodiesel
from public forecourts. Poole Unitary Council was the first local
authority to introduce a waste collection lorry powered by vegetable
oil while in Bury St Edmonds the council is paying its staff 20p
per mile to use bikes for work travel.
7. INTERNATIONAL
IMPLICATIONS
7.1 Local government has consistently engaged
with the UN and EU on the future of post-2012 policy through a
range of fora. More emphasis should be placed by Government
on developing a co-ordinated position with local government when
detailed negotiations are taking place on future climate policy.
7.2 A more comprehensive approach is needed
across policy negotiation at the EU level. This should work to
ensure that the whole raft of EU policies—from vehicle emissions
to energy efficiency criteria—affecting how we impact on
the climate post 2012 creates a more comprehensive policy package
that meets the needs of local communities.
7.3 Local government should be a key partner
in this process. Resources should also be given to helping local
authorities engage with counterparts internationally to drive
forward action to adapt to and mitigate climate change.
7.4 UK local government strongly encouraged
leaders of the EU's 27 member states to endorse European Commission
proposals for emissions to be cut by 20-30% by 2020 when they
met in Brussels earlier this year. The deal reached was part of
a major package of climate and energy proposals which had been
put forward by the European Commission in January.
8. GENERAL
8.1 Councils also need a set of reliable,
up-to-date data to work from and a framework and methodology for
emissions baseline monitoring. At present elements of data sets
are available but other data sets need to be compiled and a framework
to enable comparability is needed.
8.2 Councils also need wider access to existing
data sets collected for specific purposes, such as data on energy
efficiency of existing homes which will be collated for all marketed
homes under the Home Information Packs scheme (the Energy Performance
Certificates). This valuable data will not be available to bodies
such as Local Authorities (LAs) trying to engage with householders
to raise domestic energy efficiency levels which is a wasted opportunity
to develop joined up approaches at least cost.
LGA
May 2007
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