Councils forced to choose between fixing potholes and tackling net zero

Swingeing cuts to local authorities are holding back ambition on net zero.

This is the view of Christopher Hammond, chief executive of UK100, a network of local leaders committed to ambitious climate action.

Hammond is one of those backing Utility Week’s campaign calling for government to mandate and fund local area energy plans (LAEPs). Electricity distribution operator UK Power Networks has also today endorsed the Make it a LAEP Year campaign.

To date 114 councils have either completed or are progressing a LAEP. However, two thirds of local authorities are yet to have their say on the net zero path for their area, with the cost and resource pressures of completing a LAEP often cited as a key barrier.

Hammond pointed out that there is consensus across the political spectrum that climate change needs to be tackled – but this has not translated into action on a local level.

He said: “No one has encouraged local authorities to really look at energy, to see its transformational potential. It has been a pretty negative relationship but that is changing for the better. There are so many people across local authorities who are really engaged with this topic and excited by the potential. But they need help. They need the resources to do this. And they also need the legitimacy. They need permission to treat this with the urgency it deserves.”

He added: “The sad fact is that local authorities have got really good at cutting away anything that isn’t absolutely essential because they’re now so used to their budgets being cut to the bone. You’ve seen that with things like training and travel budgets. Most organisations wouldn’t survive telling their staff they can’t afford to train them but that’s just taken on the chin.

“The trade-offs local authorities have to make have become more stark. Where can they cut to keep this community centre or this playground open? Net zero doesn’t really stand a chance in those kind of trade-offs because it doesn’t have the same kind of visibility. But it’s fundamentally unfair to make them choose between fixing potholes and tackling climate change.”

Hammond pointed to the approach taken by the Welsh government, which has funded LAEPs as a basis for its national energy plan, as a model that could be followed in England. Energy Systems Catapult, which developed the LAEP model and is advising the Welsh government, has estimated the upfront cost of funding LAEPs at £40 million.

Hammond said: “Local authorities really want to have agency around net zero and that should be encouraged. And some of them are doing really amazing stuff and becoming trailblazers. But for many others, they have one man and a dog responsible for decarbonisation so they’re never going to be able to achieve anywhere near as much. You end up with this hodge-podge system where some local authorities are much further ahead than others. It’s a postcode lottery.”

Utility Week is seeking to showcase the support of utilities for a grassroots approach to net zero. We intend to take this message to political parties ahead of the general election and lobby for commitments to mandate and fund LAEPs across the country.

UK Power Networks is the latest to support our calls. Its chief executive Basil Scarsella said: “The success of transitioning to net zero will depend on communities working with stakeholders in a collaborative way. Local authorities will play a critical role and that’s why we support the Utility Week’s ‘Make it a LAEP Year’ campaign. It will empower all local authorities to create a Local Area Energy Plan and support a fair net zero transition for all communities.”

To show your support for the campaign please email editor James Wallin.