Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local government to play a full role in the Net Zero transition as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change in the Reducing UK emissions Progress Report to Parliament, published in June 2020.

The Government is committed to tackling climate change, and local authorities have a vital contribution to make. Their unique insight into local opportunities and priorities, their role as place-shapers, and their convening power enable them to drive carbon emissions reductions and develop climate resilient services across their whole area, with co-benefits for better public health and thriving local economies

Tackling emissions at a local level will make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of transport, energy and buildings. As such, many parts of Government work closely with local government to deliver national strategies for carbon reduction effectively at the local level

In 2020 the Government launched the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund. In March we announced a further £300 million under the Green Homes Grant, to help lower income households cut emissions and save money on bills:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-boosts-energy-efficiency-spending-to-13-billion-with-extra-funding-for-green-homes

The Local Energy programme also supports Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), local authorities and communities in England to play a leading role in decarbonisation and clean growth. The Government's wider plan to work with local government to deliver national strategies for carbon reduction will be set out in our forthcoming net zero strategy

The Government will also publish a bold and ambitious Transport Decarbonisation Plan which will set out how to achieve net zero emissions across all modes of transport, and a Heat and Building Strategy setting out how local authorities can contribute to reducing emissions from household heating. Different decarbonisation solutions will be required and will work best in different places across the UK, and we have engaged with local government at all levels in developing these strategies

The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, now and over the course of the net zero transition.