Local authorities

There are eight main ways in which local authority leadership can influence climate change and sustainability.

Delegates of the CABE Space leaders programme 2007 on a site visit. Photo by Matthew Priestley.

Local authorities can lead in the following roles as:

• policymaker– interpreting national policy and guidance and formulating policy at the local scale to deliver climate change objectives and the sustainable community strategy. Key policies include the local area agreement, the local development framework and the core strategy plus a significant masterplanning role through area action plans and supplementary planning documents
• planning authority – the negotiating and consent-giving roles of local authorities in the planning process can have a big influence on both new build and refurbishment
• building control authority, setting, overseeing and signing off the standards for new development
• social landlord – local authorities may have control over a vast stock of existing housing and a considerable amount of new build and refurbishment
• client for new public buildings – including town halls, schools, leisure centres and community centres with opportunities to provide benchmarks of good practice in their design and management
• asset manager for existing buildings and open spaces, with opportunities for sustainable refurbishment and maintenance that reduces emissions and increases adaptability to a changing climate
• leader in local strategic partnerships in delivering effective services and resource management and working with private and public partners to provide a solid base for sustainable communities and local economies
• advisor to communities on how to live, work and play more sustainably, reducing their ecological footprint and building their resilience to a changing climate.

Examples of how local authorities are embedding climate change

• The Local Government Improvement and Development website showcases best practice in environmental sustainability and climate change
• The Local Innovation Awards Scheme showcases the work of local authorities in tackling climate change
• The C40 is a group of the world's largest cities committed to tackling climate change.
• The Planning Advisory Service has collected examples of how local authorities have addressed climate change in supplementary planning documents.