Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
The Strategy sets out plans for how central government will work with local government in...
Conclusion
The Strategy sets out plans for how central government will work with local government in pursuit of net zero.49 The Department will take overall responsibility for improving coordination with local government and other local actors on the design and delivery of local net zero policies.50 The Department will establish a Local Net Zero Forum to regularly bring together senior officials from national and local government to discuss policy and delivery options.51 However, the Department described a ‘journey’ it needs to take with local authorities, starting with the Forum.52 The Local Government Association, representing councils from England and Wales, told us it has been calling for a climate taskforce to be established, bringing together ministers and local representatives in a forum to encourage greater national-local government coordination and partnership.53 When we queried which areas the Department still felt it had work to do in despite having published its Strategy, the Department highlighted working with local authorities, and indicated that this should now progress more quickly.54 44 Committee of Public Accounts, Achieving Net Zero, Forty-Sixth Report of Session 2019–21, HC 935, 1 March 2021 45 Q 12 46 Net Zero Strategy, page 263, para 8; Local Government Association, page 1, para 2.3 47 Energy Systems Catapult, page 4 48 Core Cities UK, page 2, para 2.7 49 Q 17 50 Net Zero Strategy, page 264, para 14 51 Net Zero Strategy, page 264, para 14 52 Q 12 53 Local Government Association, paras 2.4–2.5 54 Q 82 14 Achieving Net Zero: Follow up
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 4.2 In the Net Zero Strategy, the government has already set out how it will work with local government on the issues the Committee have raised. 4.3 The department will do this by creating a Local Net Zero Forum where the department will discuss local net zero issues with local government as it is critical that local government are involved in discussions about their role in net zero. 4.4 The department is in the process of setting the Local Net Zero Forum up and it will have its first meeting by summer 2022. 4.5 The commitment in the Net Zero Strategy is that the government will explore simplifying and consolidating funds which target net zero initiatives at the local level, where this is the most effective approach to making progress on net zero. This is one of the issues the government will discuss in the Forum.