Risks to people’s health from heatwaves is the greatest priority
climate concern for councils, according to a new Local Government
Association survey on local climate preparedness.
Last year brought record breaking temperatures, wildfire
incidents and significant infrastructure disruption, with extreme
heat leading to thousands of excess deaths across the country,
and the year before dealt with significant flash flooding.
The LGA said urgent action is needed to prepare our villages,
towns, and cities for the impacts of climate change. It is
calling for government to enable urgent acceleration of local
adaptation action as part of its forthcoming National Adaptation
Programme (NAP).
The NAP sets out the actions that government and others will take
to adapt to the challenges of climate change in England over a
five-year period. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) are currently working on the third iteration of
the NAP which is expected to be published this summer and will
run from 2024 to 2029.
The LGA said it must include more to raise the awareness of how
people and partners can adapt to climate change, that it should
improve the availability of data to prepare for climate risks in
places and that policies and investments should reflect
adaptation as well as net zero efforts.
Councils are also calling for government guidance on critical
thresholds for different weather patterns. This would include the
threshold temperatures that different services can change or
close, from play areas to libraries.
Over 300 councils have declared a climate emergency, and many are
assessing risks and developing plans. They deliver wide ranging
services including on roads, flooding, fire, natural environment,
housing, public health, and social care.
An LGA survey also found that:
- Damage to critical infrastructure and buildings, including
roads and homes ranks as the second greatest concern for
councils. Widespread risks to people and the economy from climate
related failure of the power-system was the third greatest risk.
- 21 per cent of responding councils said a “lack of data” was
a barrier in addressing climate impacts to communities and
service delivery. “Lack of funding and/or available finance” was
also the top identified barrier (93 per cent) faced by
authorities.
Cllr Linda Taylor, environment spokesperson for the LGA said:
“The impacts of climate change are going to intensify into the
future and councils are warning people and places will be left
increasingly vulnerable without further preparation. Councils
need support to prepare their communities for impacts of climate
change now.
“The extreme heat we all experienced last summer is just one of
many effects we expect to reoccur, the year before that we had
significant flash flooding. Councils need the funding and
resources to adequately reduce the risks to lives and
livelihoods.
“As the leaders of local areas, councils are at the forefront of
local climate action, they must be made able to protect their
residents.”
Notes to editors
- Councils are working with Government through the Local
Adaptation Advisory Panel to take action on these issues
