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CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain team this week launched a new Innovation Lab to support the Local Government Association (LGA) to create guidance documentation to be used by councils across England to help embed sustainability within all council policies and across all service areas.
Across the UK, more than 300 local authorities have declared a Climate Emergency, and many are now working with partners and their local communities to take urgent action.
‘Sustainability in all Policies’ is an approach to policies that systematically and explicitly takes into account the environmental implications of decisions, looks for synergies between reducing climate impacts and other core objectives, and tries to avoid causing harm, with the aim of protecting our environment and benefitting society as a whole.
The Climate Change Committee estimates that around a third of the UK’s emissions are dependent on sectors that are directly shaped or influenced by local authority practice, policy or partnerships.
CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain team will use their Innovation Lab process to engage with representatives of a number of councils, both rural and urban, and covering a wide range of service areas, to co-design the guidance required for councils to embed sustainability across all service areas and policies.
CAT Innovation Lab Manager Dr Anna Bullen said:
“CAT is thrilled to have been awarded this work, not least because of the significance of it. For many years now we have advocated for sustainability and the climate crisis to be embedded in all areas of councils’ work, and not just the responsibility of the (often) lone climate change officer.
“We all have a role to play in addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis, and our actions will be much more effective if we all embrace the challenge together. In commissioning this work, the LGA is making a clear statement to councils that this is the way forward, and are backing this up by investing in effective guidance that will support councils in implementing these measures.”
Final guidance documents are expected to be published in spring 2023.
The LGA works with 331 of the 333 councils in England to support, promote and improve local government.
CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Lab team works with local authorities across the UK, providing training, innovation labs and resources to support them in reaching zero carbon.
Currently the funding for this project is for English councils only but we hope to be able to do similar work for councils in Wales and the rest of the UK in the future.
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