Local Government: Climate Change

Mr. Jim Cunningham
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to assist local authorities in tackling climate change.

Mr. Woolas
The new Local Government Performance Framework for England includes an appropriate focus on climate change, with Indicators on mitigation and adaptation.

DEFRA and Communities and Local Government jointly launched a new £4 million best practice programme to provide support to local authorities to allow them to provide effective delivery against the new climate change requirements of the performance framework. Delivery bodies such as the Carbon Trust, Salix Finance and the Energy Saving Trust also offer advice, support and Government funding on reducing emissions. To support private and public sector organisations in assessing the risks and opportunities of unavoidable climate change and planning their own adaptation strategies, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) was set up in 1997, funded by DEFRA.

We are also working to ensure that other policies relevant to local authorities—such as planning policy statements and guidance—reflect the need to address the risks and impacts of climate change.