LGA launches new climate change campaign

LGA press release - 13 March 2008

“We need people to  see  that we  can  make a difference,” Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the Local Government Association, will tell delegates at the LGA’s Future Places Conference in Liverpool later today.

“We must  take  the lead, from reducing our own emissions and becoming more energy efficient, to visibly taking real steps to protect our communities from extreme weather.”

In a keynote address to around 500 delegates, Sir Simon will officially launch the LGA’s climate change campaign – Small Change, Big Difference. The campaign will encourage the sector to do more, seek greater powers for councils and aim to influence public opinion and behaviour.

Sir Simon will call on councils to collectively commit to:

• all local area agreements containing at least one target relating to climate change;
• all signing the Nottingham Declaration by the end of 2008;
• reducing their carbon footprint by 1.5million tonnes;
• reducing emissions by 32million tonnes.

The LGA is also calling for:

• reform of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programme to give councils a greater role to ensure every home in the country is insulated. This would drastically cut carbon emissions, lift half a million people out of fuel poverty and slash household energy bills;
• all main political parties to make a clear commitment to giving councils greater powers to combat climate change, recognising the important role local government plays in connecting national aspiration to individual action;
• a step change in the supply of renewable energy, working towards partnerships between national government, the energy suppliers and local government to establish a major renewable energy project in every area.

Sir Simon will say:

“Councils need the freedom to lead, and the means to develop their own solutions. We need to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency, but the reality of achieving that in a rural district compared with a London borough is fundamentally different.

“Power should always be held at the lowest appropriate level, and what greater example can there be than climate change. We need nations to act, but in order to create the change, we need families and individuals to act.

“Local government is the only body able to drive effective change at the household level, and with households producing a quarter of all emissions, we must drive that change forward.

“Councils have already led the greatest environmental effort this country has seen since the great Victorian sewers were built – recycling has risen from seven per cent to 30 per cent since 1997. We are now recycling almost 13 million tonnes every year.

“There is still a great deal more that can be done, but we need to create the same kind of leap on insulation, on energy efficient appliances, on how we heat and power our homes. This is not a minority interest, or the work of a pioneering few, this has got to become a reality for every home in the land.”

On what councils can do to combat climate change, Sir Simon will say:

“Many authorities are already doing sterling work, but it is the duty of those councils who are excelling to build a momentum of enthusiasm and purpose amongst all authorities.

“We need to ensure that while the best have the necessary means to push ever onward in their efforts, that we are able to ensure that councils who are behind get the support they need to make this a core function.

“This is a core duty of local authorities, and I am very pleased to see that so many authorities are including targets to reduce CO2 emissions in their local area agreements. I would like to see how we can encourage every authority and partnership to include such targets in their agreements.

“I am also calling for every council in England to sign up to the Nottingham Declaration by the end of this year. For those who haven’t got around to it, it is time to do so. For those who are uncertain about it, then let’s have a conversation, let’s see where our differences are, and as a sector, have an open and frank debate.”

On what the LGA will be doing to support councils, Sir Simon will say:

“The LGA will also be developing ideas around real financial incentives for councils who improve on their climate change targets – to find ways of rewarding reduced emissions, and also to reward innovation and sector leadership. We are already discussing these issues with Hilary Benn.

“I believe this is exactly the kind of area where we can build strong partnerships with central government – asking them to help us find streams of funding that can drive our work onwards. Just as we are asking for a greater share of the benefits of economic growth that councils drive, the greatest incentives should go to those councils who both create growth and reduce emissions.

“There are huge economic benefits to be won, as well as environmental benefits, and so far, the UK is failing. If we are able to deliver real change on a huge issue like climate change, and to reinvigorate our democratic relationship along the way, then surely this must be the proof we need that councils can and should have more freedom to lead across the board.”

Read the full speech: Sir Simon Milton's speech to the LGA Sustainable communities conference (PDF, 4 pages, 82KB)

NOTES:

The Small Change, Big Difference campaign is the third strand of the LGA’s Putting People First campaign