Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Local Government Association
Many thanks for inviting the LGA to give evidence
to the EAC enquiry on Climate Change and Local, Regional and Devolved
Government. During the evidence session we promised to write to
the committee on the issue of whether any councils has specifically
used wellbeing powers to help them tackle climate change.
We have talked to a number of our member councils
who have been innovate in tackling climate change, and the Energy
Savings Trust, to see if the wellbeing power has been instrumental
in their success. We were interested to discover that the wellbeing
power has indeed been used by a number of councils. I have enclosed
a brief describing how these councils have used the power and
what success they have achieved with it.
I was very pleased to see that the EAC is undertaking
this enquiry as local goveernment has a key role in tackling climate
change. This March the LGA is planning to launch a major new campaign
to help councils better tackle climate change, and we will be
happy to keep you and the committee updated on its progress.
THE WELL-BEING
POWER HAS
BEEN AN
IMPORTANT TOOL
FOR COUNCILS
TO TACKLE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Islington Council
The well-being power allowed Islington Council
to enter a contract to provide services to a charitable organisation
advising them on energy savings projects. Without the well-being
power it is not clear how the council could have entered the contract
with the charity which was not a "public body" as defined
in the Local Authorities Goods and Services Act 1970.
Islington Council were also able to use the
well-being power to give a legal justification to their agreement
to create a £3 million Climate Change Fund. This fund will
be used to pay for capital projects that will reduce CO2 emissions
in the borough.
Fenland District Council
Using the power of well-being, Fenland set up
FenESS, an energy services scheme combining energy supply with
the provision of measures concerned with efficient use. FenESS
offers a range of benefits to registered social landlords and
public and private sector landlords, whilst helping energy conservation
authorities to achieve their environmental targets.
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
The power of well-being enabled the local authority
to join the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. The UK ETS offered an
opportunity for the council to secure additional funding over
the next few years to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions
from its corporate operations. In return, it has signed up to
a legally binding reduction of 1,000 tCo2e for part of its municipal
buildings by December 2006; representing a 12% reduction.
Nottinghamshire County Council
The power enabled the creation of Renewable
Nottinghamshire Utilities Ltd (ReNU), which aims to develop the
physical and commercial infrastructure necessary to encourage
the wood heat industry in the East Midlands.
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