Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Government backs £30m Doncaster airport investment
10/04/2025 The Government has backed the decision by the South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard to invest £30m to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA). |
Heat pump adoption ‘miles off track’
09/04/2025 Poorer areas in Britain are less than half as likely to see heat pumps installed than in richer places, think tank says. |
6,000 EV chargers to be rolled out in Brighton
07/04/2025 More than 6,000 electric vehicle chargers are set to be rolled out across Brighton and Hove in what is said to be the largest project of its kind in the UK. |
Peterborough requires £8.8bn to reach net zero
17/03/2025 An investment of £8.8bn is required if Peterborough City Council is to achieve its net zero carbon emissions target by 2040, according to a council document. |
London’s Ulez delivers ‘substantial’ air quality improvements
07/03/2025 London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) has led to ‘substantial improvements’ in air quality across the capital, new research reveals. |
Councils urged to take action on nature recovery
05/03/2025 As few as one in 10 councils have a plan for nature recovery despite the UK being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, Woodland Trust says. |
Flood defence funding boost ‘tip of the iceberg’
05/02/2025 Defra's decision to top up funding for flood defences by £250m raises spending in this area to record levels but is still just ‘tip of the iceberg’, MPs say. |
Who’s leading the way on waste reduction and food climate action?
30/01/2025 Annie Pickering, operations director at Climate Emergency UK, looks at which councils are leading the way when it comes to helping residents reduce waste. |
Vent-Axia's Embodied Carbon Calculations for Commercial Heat Recovery Aid Building Design
29/01/2025 To help with the design of low and zero-carbon buildings, ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has completed its embodied carbon calculations on its products. |
Peterborough’s ‘net zero’ plan cuts emissions by 78%
27/01/2025 Councillors in Peterborough have approved a ‘roadmap to net zero’ with measures that would only reduce emissions by 78%. |
Council sparks outrage with oat milk plan
14/01/2025 Gloucestershire dairy farmers have reacted angrily to a campaign by the county council encouraging residents to think about alternatives to milk. |
Former council chief charged after Just Stop Oil protest
14/01/2025 A former council chief executive is one of two Just Stop Oil protesters charged with criminal damage after powdered paint was sprayed on Charles Darwin’s grave yesterday. |
Bus cuts led to a billion more miles by car in 2023
07/01/2025 Cuts to bus provision in England led to an estimated 1.1 billion extra miles driven by cars and taxis in 2023 alone, according to new research. |
Councils awarded decarbonisation funding
07/01/2025 Five local authorities in the Midlands have been awarded grant funding to develop decarbonisation plans for industrial zones in their areas. |
Councils battle new year floods
02/01/2025 Councils in the north west of England are continuing to work around the clock following floods on New Year's Day. |
'Carbon bomb' warning adds to relief road woes
24/12/2024 Shropshire has shrugged off an estimate of the carbon impact of a road scheme by increasing the budget and timescale for its pledge to offset emissions. |
Council ‘aims to go beyond net zero’ in UK first
18/12/2024 Oxfordshire County Council has become the first local authority in the UK to commit to negative carbon dioxide emissions for its own estate. |
Campaigners warn of ‘vapocalypse’
16/12/2024 The number of vape products being thrown out or recycled incorrectly every week has risen from five million last year to an estimated 8.2 million. |
Councils 'hamstrung' on net zero
27/11/2024 Councils striving to make their operations net zero by 2030 are being ‘hamstrung by a lack of long-term funding certainty and limited powers', expert warns. |
New scheme aims to improve mental health of flood-risk communities
04/11/2024 A ‘trailblazing’ project has launched to improve the mental health of communities at risk of flooding in West Yorkshire. |
Unlocking supply chain potential to deliver net zero
29/10/2024 Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Westminster City Council, discusses how councils can reach sustainability goals through collaboration with supply chains. |
Recycling Week: The disposable vapes challenge
15/10/2024 Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, looks at the recycling challenge the surge in disposable vapes poses for local authorities. |
Recycling Week: The pass down of ETS costs to councils
14/10/2024 LARAC chair Cathy Cook discusses the impact on local authorities of the proposed expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). |
Met Office launches climate tool for councils
10/10/2024 The Met Office has launched a new tool to help councils adapt to the climate emergency. |
Permission given for 7,000 homes in flood zones
09/10/2024 Planning permission has been granted to build more than 7,000 homes in the areas at the highest risk of flooding in England, a new report has revealed. |
LGA calls for devolution of retrofit funding
30/09/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged the Government to use the Autumn Budget to devolve all funding for retrofitting social and fuel poor homes to councils. |
Belfast launches Northern Ireland’s first Local Area Energy Plan
27/09/2024 Belfast City Council has launched its first Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) – and the first in Northern Ireland. |
High Court blocks Cumbria coal mine plan
16/09/2024 The High Court has quashed the planning permission granted for the UK’s first new deep coal mine in 30 years. |
Devolution key to net zero transition, think-tank says
10/09/2024 Devolving powers to cities will be critical to the Government achieving its net zero goals, a think-tank has argued. |
Planning ‘dysfunction’ leaves new homes vulnerable to floods
03/09/2024 ‘Dysfunction’ in the English planning system is leaving new housing development vulnerable to flood risks, according to a report published today. |
Devon County Council helps electrify one million miles of road
29/08/2024 Devon County Council’s network of public electric vehicle chargers have electrified over one million miles of road travel two years since installation. |
Low emission zones generate £1bn
28/08/2024 Local authorities have generated more than £1bn from low emission, clean air and zero emission zones since April 2019, new research has revealed. |
Huge variation in on-street EV charger provision
27/08/2024 A new report has revealed significant disparities between council areas in electric vehicle (EV) charging provision for EV owners without off-street parking. |
Fire chiefs call for legal duty on extreme weather response
23/08/2024 The UK’s fire and rescue services have called for statutory duties to respond to extreme weather events in England. |
Newham mayor ‘deeply concerned’ by airport expansion
20/08/2024 The Government has approved London City Airport's plans to increase passenger numbers by more than a third despite objections by Newham Council. |
Landslip repairs to cost council £3.5m
15/08/2024 Northumberland County Council has estimated it will spend £3.5m repairing a road that suffered a landslip last year. |
Suffolk announces electric car club trial
15/08/2024 A trial of electric community vehicles is set to launch in Suffolk next summer. |
Flood management funding ‘not working’
15/08/2024 The Government’s failure to devise a fair funding system for flood defences means wider service cuts for at-risk communities, council bosses have warned. |
Council buys land to plant 25,000 trees
06/08/2024 A Devon council has bought 65 acres of land to develop a ‘community woodland’. |
Interview: Fighting climate change in court and as a councillor
25/07/2024 Fresh from a landmark legal win said to have ‘fundamentally changed’ the planning landscape around fossil fuels, Sarah Finch chats to LocalGov about her experience taking action on the climate – both in the courts, and as a councillor. |
King's Speech: Labour to boost public control of buses and trains
17/07/2024 The King has confirmed that the new Government will bring forward legislation to bring bus and rail services more closely under public control, including public ownership of train operators. |
Taking Back Control: Why climate action needs devolution
17/07/2024 Christopher Hammond, UK100 chief executive and former council leader, argues that devolution is essential for tackling climate change. |
Government pulls defence of Cumbria coal mine
12/07/2024 The Government will no longer defend legal challenges of the planning permission it granted for a new coal mine in Cumbria. |
Fixing the broken retrofit system
10/07/2024 Ian Preston, Centre for Sustainable Energy, argues the retrofit system is broken and offers lessons for the Local Authority Retrofit Scheme. |
Extinction Rebellion activists scale council office
10/07/2024 Campaigners climbed onto the roof of East Sussex County Hall yesterday to demand the authority stops investing its pension fund in fossil fuels. |
Work on Brighton rainscape gets under way
28/06/2024 Preparation work for a rainscape wetland area at a nature reserve near Brighton got under way this week. |
Two-thirds of renewables projects fail to pass planning stage
25/06/2024 Almost two-thirds of applications for renewable energy projects failed to make it through the planning process in the past five years, research has revealed. |
NextGov: Saving the local-national climate covenant
20/06/2024 Christopher Hammond, chief executive of UK100, discusses how the next government should help local authorities along the road to net zero. |
Landmark fossil fuel ruling has ‘profound’ implications for planning
20/06/2024 A historic legal judgement has ‘fundamentally changed’ the landscape around planning permission for fossil fuel extraction, campaigners have said. |
Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire to cooperate on net zero
14/06/2024 An agreement between Glasgow City Council and West Dunbartonshire Council has been developed to improve services relating to the net zero transition. |
Tories announce plan to scrap outer London Ulez
10/06/2024 The Conservatives plan to scrap outer London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) if re-elected, Transport Sectary Mark Harper revealed over the weekend. |
Ads for cars and airlines banned on Edinburgh council property
31/05/2024 Edinburgh City Council will no longer approve sponsorship opportunities or advertising on its assets if they promote ‘high carbon’ products. |
Council plants all-vegan menu idea
29/05/2024 Only plant-based food would be served at events hosted by Calderdale Council if a new catering policy is approved. |
Funding restrictions leave climate playing ‘second fiddle’
15/05/2024 The Government’s reliance on competitive funding pots is undermining the ability of local authorities to deliver on climate targets, a new report says. |
Green Liverpool projects win European funding
08/04/2024 Greening projects designed to complement new active travel routes in Liverpool will be funded by a European climate grant worth almost £80,000. |
Local approach needed to prepare for ‘silent killer’ of heatwaves
31/01/2024 MPs have called for a locally led approach to retrofitting houses to protect the most vulnerable from heat waves. |
Greta Thunberg joins Hampshire airport protest
29/01/2024 Residents, councillors and Extinction Rebellion activists were joined by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to protest the expansion of a private jet facility at the weekend. |
Councils must adapt to extreme weather threat
24/01/2024 Cara Jenkinson, Cities Manager, Ashden discusses how local authorities can adapt to the threat of extreme weather. |
Report warns of 'lethal' climate change risks
17/01/2024 With London and the UK ‘underprepared’ for extreme weather and an absence of national leadership on climate, regional government must adapt at pace, a new report argues. |
Preparing for future floods
16/01/2024 After Storm Henk, APSE principal advisor Rob Bailey sets out some of the steps local authorities should take to improve flood preparedness. |
BCP Council extends successful bike scheme
02/01/2024 A bike scheme in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council area has been extended for five more years. |
How local authorities can inspire sustainable investment
20/12/2023 Helena Rivers, net zero lead at AECOM, argues that while appetite for climate initiatives may vary on within central government, local authorities have the power to act now and drive a meaningful transition. |
Mayor Burnham criticises fee-paying clean air zone
14/12/2023 Public investment in buses and taxis will improve air quality in Greater Manchester faster than a fee-paying clean air zone (CAZ), Mayor Andy Burnham says. |
Skills shortage ‘putting brakes’ on net zero
12/12/2023 The skills shortage is undermining efforts to reduce carbon emissions and effectively tackle the climate crisis, local authority leaders in London have warned. |
Councils call for support after ‘stark’ climate change warnings
11/12/2023 Local authority leaders have said they need support to prepare communities for climate change after a stark report described the impacts of changing temperatures on people’s health. |
Londoners struggling to take action on climate change
05/12/2023 Londoners motivated to prevent climate change but are struggling to reduce emissions due to cost-of-living crisis, survey reveals as leaders meet for COP28. |
PM promises to limit council tree felling
29/11/2023 Residents will have to be consulted before local authorities remove trees in their areas, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced. |
Campaigners warn of ‘silent war’ on bus services
28/11/2023 Bus services have seen a dramatic decline over the past 15 years, with provision decreasing by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, research reveals. |
Climate change ‘biggest threat’ to heritage
20/11/2023 The future of the coastline, countryside and historic buildings protected by the National Trust will be threatened by extreme weather without urgent and large-scale action, a report has found. |
Only 5% of public feels ready for climate change
15/11/2023 Most of the public feels unprepared for the effects of climate change following the extreme heat, flooding and storms of recent years, LGA poll reveals. |
Councils sign cross border partnership
13/11/2023 Two English councils, Herefordshire and Shropshire, and two Welsh county councils, Monmouthshire and Powys, have signed a partnership agreement. |
Councils ‘held back’ on net zero
24/10/2023 The organisations that represent English councils have collaborated in a call for the Government to change its approach on delivering net zero. |
Turning pensions into fossil fuel playthings
23/10/2023 Robert Noyes, Platform London, argues that if councils are serious about net zero, then local government pension funds must divest from fossil fuels. |
Over £12bn of council pensions invested in fossil fuel
23/10/2023 Over £12bn of local government pensions are invested in the fossil fuel industry, environmental campaigners have revealed. |
Councils underperform in first-of-kind climate study
18/10/2023 Local authorities are not doing enough on net zero, the first study of UK councils’ climate action across all sectors has found. |
Commission calls for £30bn public infrastructure investment
18/10/2023 Government should invest £30bn a year into public infrastructure to level up struggling areas and tackle climate change, says infrastructure commission. |
Home upgrades drop off in north east
17/10/2023 The number of government-funded projects to upgrade cold and draughty homes in north east England has significantly reduced, according to climate change charity Ashden. |
Poll reveals Brits are green YIMBYs
16/10/2023 Brits are twice as likely (66%) to say 'yes' to new local developments if they are green projects than if they are non-green developments (33%), poll reveals. |
Bus companies brand Oxford LTNs a ‘failure’
16/10/2023 Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Oxford have ‘made congestion worse’ and delayed bus services, operators have argued. |
Local authority pension schemes invest £330m in renewables
13/10/2023 Six local authority pension schemes have agreed a multi-million-pound deal to invest in renewables projects in the southwest. |
15 minute cities 'don't exist'
09/10/2023 Civil servants are battling to explain to ministers that concepts like ’15-minute cities’, said to restrict people’s ability to shop, ‘don’t really exist'. |
Place directors under ‘immense pressure’ publish strategic objectives
03/10/2023 Place directors have called for action on planning, infrastructure and the environment, including a financial regime enabling councils to build more affordable and ‘climate-ready’ homes. |
New programme to help councils with climate change goals
03/10/2023 A sustainability programme has been launched by the Local Government Association (LGA) to help councils reach carbon reduction targets. |
Sunak launches fight for motorists
02/10/2023 The Government has announced plans to discourage English councils from bringing in 20mph and traffic reduction measures. |
Government to restrict use of 20mph speed limits
29/09/2023 Local leaders have responded critically to reports that the Government is set to restrict the ability of councils to impose 20mph speed limits on main roads. |
Bradford claims success from watered-down CAZ
29/09/2023 Bradford Council has celebrated questionable success in its struggle to demonstrate compliance with the legal limit for toxic air pollution. |
Road conditions add flood risk to pothole ‘crisis’
27/09/2023 English councils received hundreds of compensation claims for flood damage in recent years as they struggled to maintain roadside drainage, according to study. |
Central government should ‘step aside on net zero if it won’t step up’
27/09/2023 If central government ‘won't step up’, it should stand aside and allow local and regional leaders to forge ahead with decarbonisation, net zero tsar warns. |
Newcastle clean air zone brings in £500k
27/09/2023 Newcastle City Council’s clean air zone (CAZ) has brought in over £500,000 in the first six months of its operation, new figures from the council reveal. |
Few councils' homes meeting energy efficiency target
25/09/2023 New figures have revealed just 18 councils have energy efficient housing stock, laying bare the challenge of tackling the climate emergency. |
Tower Hamlets to remove LTN road closures
21/09/2023 Tower Hamlets has decided to remove its low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) road closures despite the majority of affected residents supporting the measures. |
PM delays new petrol and diesel ban to 2035
21/09/2023 PM Rishi Sunak has delayed the Government's ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030 to 2035. |
Council net zero efforts at risk, LGIU warns
19/09/2023 Disputes over London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and Low Traffic Networks (LTNs), combined with the cost-of-living crisis, put net zero efforts at risk. |
How citizens hold the key to decarbonising Britain
18/09/2023 Jonathan Bradley, head of Business and Practice at Granicus Experience Group (GXG) UK, argues that citizens hold the key to decarbonising Britain. |
Empowering local businesses to reach net zero
18/09/2023 Power to Change chief executive Tim Davies-Pugh calls on local councils to empower community business to help achieve their climate goals. |
Wales to consider funding bids straddling English border
11/09/2023 Wales’ economy minister has said he would consider funding bids from a new council partnership that crosses the Welsh and English border. |
‘Up to’ £129m announced in zero emission bus boost
08/09/2023 The transport secretary has announced ‘up to’ £129m to help local transport authorities introduce hundreds more zero emission buses. |
Time to fight Government water plans
05/09/2023 Ali Morse, water policy manager for The Wildlife Trusts, makes the case for defending the EU-era nutrient neutrality rules. |
Birmingham’s clean air zone less effective than previously thought
31/08/2023 Birmingham’s clean air zone (CAZ) has been less effective at reducing the levels of nitrogen dioxide gas than was previously thought, new research suggests. |
Welsh and English councils announce new partnership
30/08/2023 Councils on either side of the border between Wales and England are set to join a partnership in a bid to seek Government funding. |
