About the project

The Midlands Net Zero Hub partnered with Sustainability West Midlands and CDP to identify the needs of local authorities in the region as they work towards their climate goals.

Using CDP’s online portal, local authorities self-reported their action across a range of net zero themes.

Each local authority that participated in the project then received a bespoke report outlining areas they are excelling as well as opportunities to accelerate progress on a local level.

An overarching Climate Action in the Midlands report highlights that there is much to be celebrated as councils transition to net zero on their own estate acting as a catalyst for decarbonising their local areas, and commencement of the consideration of climate change adaptation. Strengths of the local authorities included:

• Establishing programmes to support the decarbonisation of transport, whether though electrifying council fleets and installing electric vehicle charging
• Delivering large-scale domestic retrofit programmes to support those in, or at risk of, fuel poverty, often in partnership with Midlands Net Zero Hub
• Implementing tree planting projects and considering biodiversity net gain in their programmes
• Installing solar PV on council estates
• Supporting local businesses to reduce their energy usage
• Working in partnership to roll out local flood management schemes

However, through the research, areas for improvement have also been identified. The recommendations for local authorities include:

• Supporting the rollout of community energy programmes
• Improving resilience by developing a place-based adaptation plan and associated risk assessment
• Investigating setting up a heat network
• Encouraging sustainable travel by providing safe walking and cycling routes
• Integrating nature into their own sites through small projects, including wildflower meadows and insect holes
• Rolling out long-term public engagement campaigns on topics such as waste reduction and recycling
• Joining up health and wellbeing strategies to the environmental agenda
• Reviewing their approach to procurement to prioritise local, low carbon, sustainable businesses

The report also offered a series of recommendations on how stakeholders working with local authorities on climate action projects, including Midlands Net Zero Hub, can better support them, including:

• Sharing knowledge and case studies of successful projects to facilitate replicating them elsewhere
• Bringing organisations together to nurture collaborative opportunities and collective funding bids
• Supporting local authorities to find and apply for funding for their projects
• Formalising collaboration between organisations that play a role in supporting local authorities with climate action to avoid duplication
• Wider signposting to resources that will help local authorities to accelerate their climate action