New data suggests residents trust councils the most on climate action
A NEW SURVEY has found that residents across the country trust their councils most to address the climate emergency.
But opposition councillors have questioned whether this is happening in the most effective way in Wokingham.
The Local Government Association (LGA) found that 40% of 1,000 people surveyed in its latest Residents Satisfaction Polling put their council at the top for carrying out climate action.
This was followed by 28% trusting the Government to act, and 15% focussing on world leaders.
The LGA believes that councils can play a fundamental role in tackling climate change because they know their villages, towns and cities best.
“As leaders of local communities, it will be local governments across the world who will be driving the collective action required to address the climate emergency,” said Cllr James Jamieson, LGA chairman.
“Councils are rooted in the places where people live and businesses do their business, and know their communities
better than anyone else. This is why they are best placed to lead the way towards a net zero future.”
Cllr John Halsall, leader of the borough council, said that he was delighted with this view, pointing out that Wokingham was one of the first boroughs to declare a climate emergency.
“One of the problems with climate change is that it’s an infinite issue,” he said.
“We could spend all the money we have on climate change and still not arrive at the point we would like to arrive at. You’ve got to do the best with what you have.
“I’m really proud of the borough in its ambitions and its delivery. But when you ask, is it enough, it’s clearly not enough.
“As a local authority, we can only do what we can do. We’re trying to do that.
“If there was one epitaph to my leadership, it would be that he actually tried to make a difference and take decisions.”
Cllr Sarah Kerr, Liberal Democrat lead for environment, said the 40% figure in the LGA survey is “still low”.
“In places like Wokingham, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were even lower,” she said.
The leader of the Labour group, Cllr Rachel Burgess, said that while local authorities are best placed to help deliver changes needed, this should be done alongside legislation and financial support from central government.
This was echoed by Cllr Kerr, who said that a multi-level response is needed.
“This isn’t just about whether residents trust local government to be a key facilitator in climate action,” she said. “But more simply, if local government isn’t given the powers and resources to play a key role, then net-zero won’t be achieved.
“How is the government going to increase greener modes of transport and reduce short car journeys without local government putting in the safe infrastructure to ensure this change?”
Cllr Burgess said that she believes the Conservative Government is “incapable of providing this leadership or support”.
“They scrapped the last Labour government’s requirement that all new homes should be net zero by 2016,” she said. “In Wokingham, this means that thousands of houses were not built to the highest environmental standard.”
And Cllr Burgess believes the council’s current approach to the climate emergency is not enough.
“Residents should be horrified by [it],” she said. “The Conservatives took activities the council was already doing and re-badged them as a response to the climate emergency, when the reality is that these activities were just business as usual.
“The council now pumps out press release after press release in order to convince people that meaningful action is being taken, and to give residents a false sense of security that the council is reducing carbon emissions in our area.”
Cllr Burgess added: “Even huge projects, like the £20 million Barkham solar farm, if it goes ahead, do little more than offset the emissions caused by the council from its own property, let alone the wider borough.”
Cllr Kerr said that she believes more “effort” is going into offsetting emissions than reducing them.
“Of greater concern is the faith being put into the government halving our carbon emissions by 2030 without the local authority needing to lift a finger,” she said. “The Tories have overlooked the fact that in order for national government to achieve its aims, it requires local government action, and they’ve not factored that in.
“Local government can do a huge amount. But it could do even more if the Conservatives enabled local authorities to do more.
“Sadly, I don’t think the Conservatives are serious about tackling the climate emergency. We have so many of the tools now ready to go, but not the political will.”
Cllr Burgess said that trust is essential, and works two ways.
“Wokingham Labour trusts residents, and wants to engage them fully in the decisions we have to make via a Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Emergency, which the Conservatives voted against,” she added. “The Conservatives cannot give their trust to residents — because informed and engaged residents would see the current response for what it really is — inadequate.”