Net Zero: Social Market Foundation Report

Baroness Scott of Needham Market Excerpts

Monday 1st November 2021 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Scott of Needham Market]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Social Market Foundation Zeroing in: Net Zero disruption and opportunity at a local level, published on 14 September.

[The Minister of State, Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (Lord Greenhalgh) (Con)]

My Lords, the Government welcome the report and its conclusions. The net-zero transition will bring many challenges at the local level, but it will also create vital opportunities to level up. The Government are already doing many of the things that the report recommends. The net-zero strategy sets out our approach to maximising the opportunities that exist and how local and devolved administrations can contribute and benefit from the transition.

[Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD)]

The report highlights some of the challenges that will be faced by rural areas in the transition to net zero. Does the Minister accept that solutions tailored to urban areas may very well not be appropriate in the countryside? Can he consider the recommendation that there should be a bespoke net-zero approach to rural areas to ensure that they do not get left behind?

[Lord Greenhalgh (Con)]

My Lords, the Government are absolutely committed to rural areas not being left behind and take the point that they are essentially very different from urban areas. However, we do not consider that we should have a separate rural strategy but consider it to be part of all our activities.