Carolyn McKenzie looks at the risks in current wording of draft local government policy and explores the potential in harnessing the inherent strengths of councils.
The climate and ecological emergencies will not wait for our politics to catch up. Until now, local government actions in these areas have been driven in the main by goodwill and pressure rather than clear duties set out in law. Without legislative hooks in the new devolution bill, the progress we’ve made so far risks slipping through the cracks.
As Director for Environment and Planning at Surrey County Council I see how local authorities act as the first line of delivery. We are already working to bring partners together, coordinate evidence and build project pipelines.
Much of this happens because we recognise our leadership role, not because legislation requires us to act and this distinction matters. When budgets are stretched, statutory services like adult and children’s care understandably take priority.
Climate and environment objectives, unless clearly defined as duties and sufficiently resourced, risk sliding down the list and with them, the teams and expertise we have painstakingly built.
That is why ADEPT argued strongly for an approach based around the concept of a Local Environmental Improvement Plan (LEIP), to mirror the government’s own Environmental Improvement Plan. Such an approach would create a clear framework, linking national ambition with local delivery.
The original white paper on devolution recognised the need to work with local government and hinted at a broader role for us in climate and environmental delivery. Those hooks have not survived into the current devolution bill. The assumption seems to be that local authorities will simply act on the white paper’s intentions, but this needs to change.
Clarity of duty matters, because without it, negotiations around new mayoral strategic authorities will be impeded. Environmental responsibilities risk being left out of new local government governance altogether, because the bill does not provide a clear mandate and existing efforts could be delayed or abandoned completely.
Local government is the natural ‘organiser’ of place, uniquely positioned to link different agendas, ensuring every pound spent delivers multiple outcomes. However, that role must be recognised and resourced. Otherwise, we face recreating a two-tier system where mayoral strategic authorities and unitaries could be pulling in different directions.
Water is a perfect example, it does not respect departmental, political or geographical boundaries and can exist as too much, too little, too polluted all at once. Yet no single organisation is tasked with looking at water in its entirety at a strategic level.
At ADEPT’s Autumn Conference this November, I will be chairing a panel on water that brings together utilities, Defra and other partners exploring the question “what exactly is the role of local government in this area, and how do we work collectively with others?” Water represents a microcosm of the wider challenge. Without a clearly defined duty and framework, responsibilities remain blurred, accountability is weak and opportunities for linked action are lost.
The same is true for nature recovery. Government has a ‘30 by 30’ target, yet this is not devolved. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are gradually being published, but unless they are fully connected to national ambitions or other local work, fragmentation and lack of clarity threatens delivery and clear outcomes.
Devolution is an opportunity to be bold and should not echo old two-tier local government structures or fall back into past limitations and outdated ways of thinking and doing.
What we do not want is the burdening of local authorities with unfunded mandates.
An amended devolution bill must recognise the central role we already play and give us the statutory backing and resources to fulfil it. The risks of failing to do so are stark, as environmental action that drops off the agenda means capacity and expertise is lost and communities are left even more vulnerable to climate impacts.
We will work with local government and NGO partners to build support for a statutory climate and nature duty and other constructive amendments as the Bill is debated in Parliament. Local government is ready to deliver, we always have been, but what we need now is strong national leadership on duty, on expectations and on action.
Image: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Carolyn McKenzie is Chair of the ADEPT Environment Board (the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport) and Director for Environment and Planning at Surrey County Council.
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