Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU)
OVER THE
LAST TWO
YEARS DEFRA'S
ADAPTING TO
CLIMATE CHANGE
PROGRAMME HAS
SET UP
A NEW
ORGANISATIONAL FRAMEWORK
FOR ADAPTATION
Is the framework coherent?
The Adapting to Climate Change (ACC) Programme
is a positive step the Government is taking to bring adaptation
into the climate change debate. While the Programme aims to develop
evidence based impacts, raise awareness and embed adaptation across
Government policies, there remains a lack of clarity on what adaptation
really is in terms of practical measures and actions that can
be taken. Of particular importance is the artificial pushing together
of regional and local challenges and opportunities. Regional structures
are directly accountable to government, deliver little and are
driven by economic development. Local government is accountable
to the people in an area, delivers many services and is driven
by a wider range of drivers from clean streets to care of the
elderly. It would make more sense to focus tightly on local government
as the best articulation of demand for adaptation support.
Are the roles of national, regional and local government
clear and appropriate? The role of local government is not clear
as demonstrated by local authorities' unawareness of the ACC Programme.
This may be because adaptation is still not adequately defined
in terms of practical measures and actions, so councils don't
know what they need to be doing to adapt or support communities
to adapt. There may also be a lack of coherent and consistent
messages between Departments, more broadly on climate change but
also on adaptation. For example, advice is given to local authorities
to avoid development on flood plains yet the Government continues
to set new housing development targets for councils, putting pressure
on already restricted land.
Why are Whitehall departments not engaging with
the Local and Regional Adaptation Partnership?
A shortfall of financial clout and direction.
LRAP has a budget of £150K pa. This must be considered by
somebody as an appropriate amount for service deliverers and politicians
on the ground to properly address what many call the greatest
challenge faced by our generation. Clearly it is not enough, so
the answer lies in national, regional and local government pooling
resources properly to give LRAP a certain weight. The second element
is direction, which needs to be much clearer and capable of being
understood and interpreted by other departments so they can see
how it fits with their priorities. Finally, senior civil servants
get together across government departments formulating strategy
on adaptation which has a direct impact on local government but
there is no connection to LRAP.
How does their lack of engagement impact on local
authorities?
It creates the perception that adaptation is
a Defra responsibility and therefore is an environmental issue.
This would inevitably resonate at the local level where local
councils that work on adaptation would place it within the Environmental
Directorate, when it should be mainstreamed across all departments.
The lack of engagement from other Whitehall departments also gives
the impression that adaptation is not important enough for local
authorities to take seriously. This affects funding priorities
and resource allocation at the national level, which would affect
local priorities.
If the Local and Regional Adaptation Partnership
isn't valued by all partners is there something else that should
be invested in instead?
There is a need to set up a structure that promotes
a positive engagement between local, regional and national government
in order to develop policy, share good practice, raise awareness
and facilitate practical implementation. The starting point for
this would be to invite leaders of influential councils, some
RDA Chief Executives, senior local government officers who are
experts in different dimensions (eg infrastructure, health, emergency
planning) and representatives from different government departments
who are also engaged in interdepartmental dialogues on adaptation
strategy. The group would need to be confident that it could suggest
policy and projects that are likely to be funded. The group's
starting point would be the development of a three-year action
plan.
THE ADAPTING
TO CLIMATE
CHANGE PROGRAMME
HAS A
LOW PROFILE
IN LOCAL
AUTHORITIES
What benefit would there be in it raising its
profile in local government?
It would demonstrate to local authorities that
the Government is taking the impacts of climate change and adaptation
seriously. Better awareness of ACC will also enable councils to
access reliable and timely information. However, the ACC will
not only need to be high profile but also need to have better
and more relevant information for local authorities, not just
information on what Defra is doing but also practical ways of
supporting councils.
How should it do this?
The projections in practice was a good attempt
at reaching out to stakeholders, but the turnout was low and this
could be due to a low awareness of ACC. One option is to utilise
sector organisations, such as the LGiU or LGA for local authorities
(similarly the CBI and BCC for businesses and the National Farmers'
Union and Country Land and Business Association for farmers) to
reach out to relevant stakeholders. It could also run pilot schemes
to demonstrate exemplars and good practice and work with the third
sector and community organisations to encourage public demand
for better adaptation measures from local authorities.
What action has the Adapting to Climate Change
Programme taken to assist public bodies to make the most of the
opportunities presented by climate change?
The ACC recognises the need to identify the
opportunities but little action is taken to advise and develop
measures to identify and make use of opportunities. More could
be done to map products and services that will thrive in a world
that is 2 or 4 degrees warmer. It could also commission research
to quantify the financial costs and savings of taking specific
adaptation action in the UK. The LGiU suggestion of a Climate
Adaptation Trust aims to address some of the gaps in the current
resources available to take action on adaptation.
Does it need it take more action, and if so, what
should it do?
It would appeal more to local authorities (and
other public bodies) when adaptation is presented as a cross-sector
issue. Therefore, rather than promoting adaptation as risk assessment
and management, ACC should promote "Positive Adaptation",
a concept the LGiU has been promoting to address the social, economic
and environmental benefits, which closely mirrors the thinking
behind sustainable development. It calls for organisations to
use resilience and adaptation to create a new way of living that
manages risks of climate change, maximises economic opportunities
and addresses social justice for those most vulnerable. This requires
better coordination between adaptation, mitigation and economic
development.
What can councils do to help local communities
and businesses to realise the benefits of climate change?
Firstly, councils are likely to succeed in getting
community buy-in into adaptation by making it a security and resilience
issue. Therefore the more communities adapt, the more secure they
will be from actual and predicted impacts of climate change. However,
councils also need to complement the security issue with opportunities
for businesses and communities. Councils already provide advice
to communities about business opportunities from regeneration
and tourism and social benefits of walking and cycling. In response
to the impacts of climate change, councils could:
— Promote local food production and demand.
— Identify and raise awareness of challenges
and opportunities in the new fishing and agricultural industries.
— Identify economic advantages for the
local area and promote economic development and growth in these
sectors.
— Advice and support for businesses looking
for new economic opportunities, such as new crops for farmers
and retrofitting existing homes for builders and designers.
— Promote training and jobs in the emerging
sectors.
— Information on outdoor leisure activities
and places available for families.
— Promote new tourism opportunities to
local businesses.
— Provide information to visitors on new
leisure activities and sports.
— Promote alternative mode of transport
such as cycling and walking.
18 December 2009
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