Christopher Hammond, UK100 chief executive and former council leader, argues that devolution is essential for tackling climate change.

Today, local leaders across the country will be awaiting the first King's Speech of the new government with bated breath. Eyes will be trained on the long-promised Take Back Control Bill. It has the potential to be the catalyst for a reset in the relationship between local and national government; a relationship that has fractured almost to the point of breaking in recent times. Nowhere is that reset more necessary than in the area of climate action.

The new Parliament includes scores of former members of UK100, the UK's only cross-party network of local leaders committed to ambitious climate action. As former council leaders, they understand the frustrations of driving climate initiatives with limited powers and resources. Their presence offers a unique bridge between local and national government—an invaluable asset for designing policies that ensure national ambitions are realised locally.

On a personal note, there are too many former UK100 members to mention individually, but I would like to take a moment to congratulate our founder Polly Billington, and two colleagues from my time as leader of Southampton Council, Darren Paffey and Satvir Kaur, on their successful election to the Commons. Their experience and dedication will make them vital local climate champions in Westminster.

Champions for ensuring the proposed Take Back Control Bill, expected in today’s King’s Speech, is a key piece of legislation to unlock Labour’s missions to kickstart sustainable economic growth, take back control in our communities and deliver lasting planning reform to deliver the homes so badly needed across the country. Not to overstate its importance, but the Bill represents a generational opportunity to unlock the connection between economic growth and local climate ambitions.

The economic case for devolution is compelling: if UK cities were given autonomy on par with Helsinki, productivity would increase significantly. Currently, the UK, particularly England, is one of the most centralised countries in the OECD, inhibiting productivity, exacerbating regional inequalities and, ultimately, acting as a cap on growth.

Equally persuasive is the case for putting climate action at the heart of devolution. Research from UKRI found that a place-based approach to achieving the UK's climate goals could save £137bn in investment costs while generating an additional £431bn in energy savings and wider social benefits. In simple terms, place-based climate strategies deliver £14 for every £1 invested — supporting a green sector growing 90 times faster than the rest of the economy.

The areas hinted at for new devolved powers — transport, housing, energy, planning, and skills — suggest the new government already understands the inexorability of sustainable economic growth and climate action and the key levers of action. But we need to see that suggestion made explicit.

To truly unlock the potential of our towns and cities, the Take Back Control Bill should include:

1. A statutory duty for local authorities to act on climate targets.

2. Requirements for planning decisions to align with the UK's 2050 climate goals.

3. Powers for local authorities to set energy efficiency requirements on new builds.

These measures also need to be allied to a commitment to long-term, non-competitive funding. The move would complement Labour's existing pledges, such as lifting the ban on municipal bus ownership and giving local leaders a direct say over local growth plans.

The expertise to make this vision a reality is present in both Parliament and town halls nationwide. As UK100, we pledge to work with the government to harness this knowledge and place climate action at the centre of a transformative devolution agenda. Ministers have acknowledged the untapped potential of our local areas. Now is the time to commit to unleashing it. By empowering local leadership, the government can accelerate its missions and deliver tangible results that benefit communities across the UK. The King's Speech offers a golden opportunity to set out a Take Back Control Bill that will tackle the most significant obstacles local leaders face in realising their climate and growth ambitions. If co-designed with local authorities, it can be the foundation upon which a decade of renewal is built.

We've seen promising early actions from this government, like lifting the onshore wind ban and bringing former Climate Change Committee chief Chris Stark and former Camden Council leader Georgia Gould into the central government fold. Now is the time to build on that momentum.

Devolution needs climate action as much as climate action needs devolution. By bringing these agendas together in the Take Back Control Bill, we can create a powerful engine for sustainable growth and shared prosperity across every region of the UK. The expertise is here — let's put it to work.