“Councils want to play their full role in preparing people and places for the impacts of climate change on local areas. "
New polling from the Local Government Association and YouGov shows just 5 per cent of the public feel prepared for the impacts of climate change, following recent years of excess heat, flooding and storms.
The LGA, which represents councils across England and Wales, is calling for the Autumn Statement to signal a rapid acceleration in the work to get ready for the escalating impacts of climate change.
The polling found the public trust their council the most to lead the effort to prepare villages, towns and cities to the climate impacts.
This includes measures to protect the most vulnerable, build flood defences, secure local infrastructure, cool homes and buildings, and to be ready for water and food insecurity.
It also found:
Councils are also calling for government guidance on critical thresholds for different weather patterns. This would include the threshold temperatures that different services can change or close, from play areas to libraries.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, environment spokesperson for the LGA said: “Councils want to play their full role in preparing people and places for the impacts of climate change on local areas. As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, the public sense of unpreparedness will undoubtedly harden and grow. Councils are doing fantastic work to tackle climate change and we want our communities to feel secure in their homes and local areas. The public trust us most because we are rooted in communities and understand places, we must be given the tools and funding needed to make that happen.”
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Posted On: 15/11/2023