Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial risk to local authorities from climate change-related weather and temperature incidents.

The Government’s Third Climate Change Risk Assessment, published in January 2022, includes an assessment of the potential cost of a wide range of climate risks to the UK. Councils are best placed to make decisions about local priorities and to support local resilience to climate change we are piloting a dedicated Local Authority Climate Service. This will provide easy access to localised climate data, while generating reports and infographics for easy use. This Met Office tool will help local authorities plan adaptation by informing them about hazards such as rainfall and extreme heat.