The Government’s reliance on competitive funding pots is undermining the ability of local authorities to deliver on climate targets, a new report says.
Research from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) has found that the funding constraints placed on councils by the Government has left climate action playing ‘second fiddle’ to supporting frontline services.
Drawing on interviews with eight local and combined authorities, the study found that reductions in local authority finances and competitive funding prevents long-term planning from local and combined authorities and their partners.
Eleanor Radcliffe, senior researcher at CLES and the lead author of the report, said: ‘There is no doubt that we need urgent action on climate, or that our places are best situated to deliver the bulk of this action. But this research has demonstrated that by underpowering and underfunding our local and combined authorities the government is putting crucial climate targets at risk.’
Check out: What really caused the council funding crisis?
