The government is missing an opportunity to embed climate and nature recovery into its levelling up agenda leaving a serious hole in its flagship Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill currently passing through Parliament, Blueprint Coalition warns.
According to the Blueprint Coalition, a coalition of local government organisations, environmental groups and research institutions, the omission seriously compromises the health, wellbeing, pride of place, education, housing, transport, and skills missions that are among the core principles outlined in the Levelling Up White Paper.
The latest report from the coalition, Blueprint Coalition Position on Levelling Up, provides an analysis of where, and how, the coalition thinks the levelling up agenda must align efforts to tackle the climate and nature emergencies because of the need to reduce inequalities through infrastructure, homes, transport, green spaces, and new skills.
At this stage in the Conservative party leadership race, it is disappointing to see so little focus is given to addressing climate change and meeting net zero targets.
The coalition says it welcomes the government’s commitment to ending regional inequalities, the importance of place, greater devolution, and providing more funding certainty for local authorities. However, the group believes that levelling up can only succeed if climate action and a healthy environment are embedded throughout.
It says this must include urgent action to insulate the UK’s homes, targeted at those most in need first as well as plans to improve access to green space for millions of people, and a fair transition for workers in high-carbon industries to long-term, quality jobs in low-carbon fields.
The coalition also believes that without aligning the aims of levelling up with climate action, the government’s new bill could limit the ability of local authorities to deliver on climate change, environmental justice, and a fair transition to a low carbon future.
There is so much that local authorities can do to support the government’s levelling up agenda.
As part of its analysis, the coalition has outlined several ways the government can enable and empower local authorities to take climate action which will also further plans to level up the country in areas such as housing and retrofit, travel, planning, green space, and nature.
President of ADEPT, Mark Kemp, said: “There is so much that local authorities can do to support the government’s levelling up agenda, particularly when we bring it together with addressing the climate emergency and meeting net zero targets.
“Investing in green skills and jobs, local renewable energy, the circular economy, retrofitting, public transport, and green and blue infrastructure can all aid the transition to a green economy at the local level while boosting our local communities and places and supporting health and wellbeing. But we cannot do it in isolation or without joined up policy and funding.
“We are ready to take action – indeed we have already started – but our ambitions are limited without meaningful support from the government.
“At this stage in the Conservative party leadership race, it is disappointing to see so little focus being given to addressing climate change and meeting net zero targets. We need the levelling up agenda to have climate change at its heart and a government with the vision to see how the transition to a green economy can support new jobs and energy security.”
