Improvements are being made across the board, but ‘not fast enough’ is the defining takeaway.
Published by Climate Emergency UK, The Local Climate Report: State of UK Council Climate Action provides an in-depth analysis of regional, county and town-level government and environmental progress. This is based on data in the 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards.
According to expert analysis, councils have improved across the board when it comes to mitigation and preparedness. However, with many setting net zero targets of 2030, this is not happening fast enough and more must be done to speed things up.
In terms of plus points, the assessment found that 90% of authorities have now reduced mowing schedules or created wildflower habitat to support biodiversity. And 70% have now published an annual climate report – up from 63% in 2023. Meanwhile, 18% have introduced policies to build net zero homes.
Adaptation strategies are also getting better, although the same number of councils included climate on the Corporate Risk Register in 2025 as did in 2023 (34%). In comparison, 62% of planning authority have now set the highest benchmark for water efficiency in new build developments, and 96% are providing residents with retrofit funding.
‘This report offers a concise snapshot of council climate action, shows what is possible, and issues a call for more comprehensive and ambitious action,’ said Louise Marix Evans, Director of Quantum Strategy & Technology and author of the Climate Change Committee’s Local Authorities and the 6th Carbon Budget report.
‘Council climate action is at a crossroads and as in Scotland, England’s councils should also have a legal duty to deliver the Climate Change Act and contribute to national carbon budgets and adaptation targets so they can go further and faster in creating a fairer, resilient, cleaner and greener UK that is visible and beneficial locally,’ she continued.
In contrast to the positives, there are a number of areas in which progress was considered to have stalled or decreased. Compared with 2023, the same number of councils (60%) offer kerbside food recycling programmes as did in 2023.
Elsewhere, 8% fewer authorities have a renewable energy tariff or generate renewable energy equal to 20% of their own energy use. And 35% have lobbied Downing Street or devolved powers for more support with climate acton, down from 43%.
‘While we have seen improvement across many measures in the Scorecards, no council is acting at the scale and pace that the climate crisis deserves,’ said Isaac Beevor, Partnerships Director at Climate Emergency UK. ‘We need councils to embed climate action across every area of the council from their decision making to their transport plans and projects to support residents retrofitting their homes.’
Image: Stephen Dawson / Unsplash
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