In total, more than 440 councillors support additions to the Community Empowerment Bill which put more power in the hands of local government to mitigate and adapt in the face of a changing climate.
Prominent political figures from across almost all parties and English regions signed an open letter asking Westminster to approve a series of amendments which would see more cinder and nature responsibility fall on regional mayors. The document was published just before the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill’s final reading in the House of Commons last Monday.
Signatories included Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, East Midlands Mayor Clare Ward, Gloucestershire County Council Leader Lisa Spivey, leaders of Gloucestershire, Dorset, North Somerset, Havant and Mid Suffolk, and Greater London Authority Assembly Member Leonie Cooper. Representation came from Labour, the Green Party, Liberal Democrats and Co-Operative.
The amendments emphasises many of the points made in a recent op-ed for Environment Journal by Carolyn McKenzie is Chair of the ADEPT Environment Board and Director of Environmental Planning at Surrey County Council.
In total, 440 councillors threw their weight behind the proposed changes, which focus on the inclusion of specific unifying statutory Climate and Nature Duty. This would require new authorities to align decisions with the UK’s legally binding climate and environment targets. According to survey data, 88% of local leaders have voiced support for the idea, while successive public polls have placed local authorities ahead of central government in trust levels tied to the environment and climate.
‘Calderdale lives the climate emergency through flooding,’ said Cllr Scott Patient, Deputy Leader, Climate and Environment portfolio, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council. ‘We’ve built strong partnerships and won recognition for our leadership, but trailblazing councils like Calderdale can’t tackle this alone. We need a statutory duty backed by the powers and investment to protect our communities and deliver the government’s national climate ambitions.’
‘Haringey residents are experiencing the impacts of climate breakdown right now through extreme heat and flooding, and these will only intensify,’ added Cllr Mike Hakata, Cabinet lead for Climate Action, Environment and Transport at the London Borough of Haringey. ‘Councils are at the forefront of climate action, and a statutory duty in the Devolution Bill would recognise the critical importance of this work and ensure all English councils have the framework and resources to deliver. We’ve shown what’s possible in Haringey through energy projects, robust building standards and active travel expansion, but we need government support to match the scale of the challenge ahead.’
The Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is now set for its second reading in the House of Lords which will take place on Monday 8th December.
Image: Merve Selcuk Simsek / Unsplash
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