Green MP Siân Berry has proposed a new statutory duty on mayors created under the English Devolution Bill, urging them to take action on climate change and air pollution.
The Bill, which establishes new unitary authorities across England, currently prioritises economic growth but according to the Green MP does not include equivalent environmental responsibilities.
Berry proposed including a clause to add a unifying statutory ‘Climate and Nature Duty’ to the Bill that would require all new authorities to align decisions with the UK’s legally binding climate and environment targets.
She also suggested amending the Bill’s health inequality duty to include access to green space and environmental pollution, citing research showing their significant impact on public health.
Survey data indicate over 88% of local authority leaders support a statutory climate duty, seeing it as a tool to embed carbon action in council strategies.
Berry also reintroduced the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, ‘Ella’s Law,’ which aims to make clean air a legally recognised human right.
