Climate change key to local elections

LGA press release - 18 April 2008

More than six out of ten people would be more likely to vote for a candidate in this year’s local elections that had policies to tackle climate change, a new poll published today has revealed.

The Local Government Association, a cross-party organisation representing councils in England and Wales, commissioned ComRes to investigate whether policies to combat global warming would make people more or less likely to vote for candidates in the elections on May 1.

The first ever survey of how climate change affects voting intentions at local elections found:

• 62% of respondents were more likely to vote for a candidate with policies to tackle climate change, 21% said it would make no difference and 15% said it would make it less likely
• 66% of women said climate change would make it more likely, compared to 57% of men
• The age group most likely to be influenced at the elections by climate change were 35-44 year olds (66%) and the least likely were those aged 65 or above (54%)
• People in Wales and the South West were most likely to vote for a candidate with climate change policies (72%) compared to 57% in Northern England
• C1 is the social class most likely to be swayed by climate change policies (66%) with DE the lowest (59%).

Commenting on the findings, Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:

“This poll shows that candidates for the local elections ignore policies to combat climate change at their peril.  There is clear support across the country and all age groups for action to be taken at a local level to tackle global warming.

“Climate change is the most important long-term priority for local government. It is a test of the sector’s credibility and reputation. It is as important now as public health and sanitation were to our Victorian predecessors.

“Candidates for the local elections have nothing to fear by offering bold policies that will help cut our carbon emissions. All parties should sit up and take notice of the fact that almost two in three people would be more likely to vote for a candidate with policies to tackle climate change.”

Councils are increasingly treating climate change as a priority in their areas and building them into local plans. The LGA Independent Climate Change Commission, which published a report in December 2007, found councils could help cut carbon emissions by 150 million tonnes of C02 a year, contributing to the national target of up to 32% reductions that central government has pledged to achieve by 2020. The report also found that it if all councils made their buildings and vehicle fleets carbon neutral they would save 5.5million tonnes every year.

In response to the Commission’s findings, the LGA launched a climate change campaign last month – Small Change, Big Difference – which encourages the local government sector to do more, seeks greater powers for councils and aims to influence public opinion and behaviour.

Ends

NOTES TO EDITOR:

A full breakdown of the responses is available on request.

Author: LGA Media Office
Contact: Matt Nicholls, 0207 664 3053