Baroness Kate Parminter, chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, argues that the local government voice is crucial for committees to understand how government policy is impacting communities.
This week, over one million people will be taking part in activities across every nation and region of the UK to celebrate UK Parliament Week, learning about what Parliament does, and how the public can get involved.
This year’s UK Parliament Week coincides with the State Opening of Parliament, when the eyes of the world are on Westminster, and the House of Lords in particular. A common perception is that members wear their ceremonial robes all year round, the reality in fact is quite different. As soon as the King’s Speech finished, the robes were replaced with business wear, and we got back to work scrutinising and challenging the government and its policies.
One of my roles in the House of Lords is to Chair the Environment and Climate Change Committee. Lords committees play a significant role in holding the government to account by investigating public policy, proposed laws, and government activity. Our committee’s focus was agreed by Members of the Lords given the climate and nature crisis we face. Our task is to help make sure the government keeps to its commitment for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050 and meets its legally-binding nature targets, by running inquiries on a range of topics which are important to the public and their communities.
Local government and public voice
The success of any inquiry is reliant on the committee receiving written and spoken evidence. At the beginning of each inquiry, a call for evidence is published which is open to any organisation or member of the public, who is interested in that topic, to give the committee their views. In the last year alone, Lords committees have received evidence from hundreds of witnesses including; local government representatives, carers, teachers, students, car dealers, consumers, and even an AI robot!
The local government voice is crucial for committees to understand how government policy is impacting communities and helps inform recommendations to government regarding the policy changes and resources needed to be made to make them work nationally, regionally, and locally. For example, the Environment and Climate Change Committee recently heard from Coventry and Durham councils about the role and responsibilities of local authorities for the Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure rollout, as part of our Electric Vehicles inquiry.
It is also crucial for committees to back up their findings and recommendations by providing examples of best practice from across – and beyond - the country, including case studies.
Another recent inquiry we held focussed on the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which was set up to encourage more people to install heat pumps. Evidence we received from boiler installers and members of the public, who had participated in the scheme, was integral to the inquiry and the subsequent media interest it generated.
Expertise of members
Members of the Lords come from different walks of life, from across the UK, and represent a wide range of professions and backgrounds. Many have had experience working in or with local and national government, while others still have active careers in many different fields. This local and professional experience is an especially useful resource in carrying out committee work. For example, members of the Environment and Climate Change Committee have experience and expertise from being involved with environmental organisations, environmental regulators and the farming industry.
Getting involved
So, how can local government and your communities get involved in House of Lords committees?
A list of all the House of Lords committees and their current inquiries is on the House of Lords pages of parliament.uk. You can also follow every Lords committee on Twitter/X and receive the latest news, calls for evidence, links to public evidence sessions, and published reports. We read every submission to our inquiries – and you may get asked if you would be prepared to give oral evidence in the Lords to the Committee.
In addition to committee work, Lords members spend their time asking questions to the government, taking parts in debates, and help shaping laws. You can search which members are interested in particular policy areas and contact them directly via the House of Lords pages at parliament.uk.
You can also watch committee evidence sessions, questions to government, debates, and the stages of making laws, live or afterwards via parliamentlive.TV, or in person by visiting the Palace of Westminster. Full details can be found at parliament.uk.
