Councils have reported thousands of “climate” incidents, including floods

Today’s study reveals that four out of five councils have had a “climate related accident” in the past five years – including 23,000 properties flooding.

The 2020 Climate Change Survey conducted by the Local Government Association found that about 80% of municipal councils have set official targets to become carbon neutral.

But 96% blamed a lack of liquidity as a barrier to tackling climate change, while 93% said legislation or regulations hamper efforts.

LGA has highlighted moves to create clean air zones, banning cars from some streets at peak times and installing vehicle charging points as examples of where councils are making progress toward cutting emissions.

LGA Environment Spokesperson David Renard said: “Councils recognize the urgent need to address climate change and are making proactive changes to benefit the environment.

This includes addressing harmful air pollution by creating clean air areas, encouraging the use of electric vehicles by strengthening recharge points, and installing energy-saving measures through the councils’ building inventory.

“However, national climate change goals are unlikely to be achieved unless councils are given long-term funding, delegated powers, and easy access to complex government financing pools.

“Now is a crucial time for local authorities to be able to take action and work hard to tackle climate change.

“Designing and implementing a new policy, hiring and training professional staff and getting these messages across to the population, all come at a cost at a time when council resources are already stretched out.

“We want to work with government and companies to create a national fiscal and policy framework for climate emergencies, backed by long-term funding.”

A government spokesperson said: “The UK is a world leader in tackling climate change, becoming the first major economy to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“We are also strengthening our resilience to climate change, providing a record £ 5.2 billion investment in flood defenses and ensuring that critical infrastructure is resilient to extreme weather.”