Impacts of climate change are local, but power to act is still held centrally

All but one UK local #councils surveyed reported a #climate hazard such as extreme heat or flooding in their area last year. While towns and #cities are working to adapt to and mitigate the impacts, austerity has severely restricted their ability to respond.

Voters in 107 English authorities go to the polls on 2 May in the wake of a report by the charity CDP showing that 99% of UK local authorities reported a climate change-related impact in their areas. The most cited among the 68 councils that responded were extreme heat, urban and river flooding, drought and coastal flooding.

Over time, More than 300 authorities have declared a climate emergency since 2018 out of 382 UK councils, many of whom are in the process of developing plans to deliver against “ambitious” net zero targets, according to the independent statutory Climate Change Committee.

Many are taking action to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions or adapting its impacts by seeking to protect its citizens. Examples cited by CDP included many by #cities aiming to increase sustainability.

For example the Bee Network Project in Greater Manchester that aims to integrate bus, cycling and walking has seen 500,000 km ridden since the launch of a cycle hire scheme in 2021, likely reducing car journeys. On the adaptation front, Welsh government funding has supported the construction of the Crindau flood management scheme along 2.6 km of the river to protect the city of Newport from flooding risk.

Voters could express their views in the polling booths but recently turnout in non-general election years has fallen to below one in three, which is likely to be a reflection of the limited powers and resources they have. The impacts of climate change may fall locally but the strategies to tackle it are formulated in and funded from Whitehall and Westminster.

Indeed, local councils have a diminishing financial pool to dip into. Local government suffered the deepest impact of the austerity programme under the 2010-2015 coalition government. According to the House of Commons library, council’s core spending power — a central government measure — for 2024/25 will be around 11% below its 2010/11 level in real terms.

No more begging bowl

Analysis by The Guardian based on Institute for Government figures shows that real terms spending has fallen in every area bar social care. The areas most related to climate change are environmental & regulatory and highways & transport, where more than nine in 10 areas made budget cuts to the latter’s services in the last 13 years.

Unsurprisingly, three out of five council’s in the CDP survey cited a lack of budgetary capacity as the “most challenging factor” in terms of adapting to climate change and tackling the impacts of a warning planet. As its global director of cities, states and regions, Maia Kutner, puts it, local councils need a “step change” in support from national governments.

That seems unlikely. The Conservatives are certain to use their last set-piece fiscal event, the autumn statement, to offer more tax rises rather than an increase in spending. Labour has indicated it will prioritise balancing the budget over immediate demands for extra cash to tackle issues such as an under resourced local government sector.

The issue of district, county and city council funding is not a vote-winner in an election year. Thus, Labour’s “plan to power up Britain” majors on structural and organisation change such as devolution, better rights for workers, innovation and industrial strategy.

For local government, the plan is strong on critique and silent on likely future funding. It rightly points out that huge chunks of local council funding has had to be used on items such as temporary accommodation to “to plaster over the government’s mismanagement”.

However, it does offer some positive reforms. It commits to provide “longer-term funding settlements” to give more certainty. Labour would bring to an end  the “begging bowl culture” and “wasteful” competitive bidding that it said has cost councils millions in failed bids.

These will not directly affect climate change projects but to the extent that it enables councils to plan ahead and see a shorter gap between proposal and grant, then will hopefully increase their ability to take measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change. One test may be how many councils are reporting a climate hazard in four years’ time.