While many UK councils have created decarbonisation strategies, fewer have a strategy in place for climate adaptation – coping with the effects of climate change. Our tips, examples and links can help you tackle key challenges like risk mapping, climate projections and baselining. All helping to build an adaptation strategy that boosts resilience and protects services, people and places.
Get free insights and support, tailored for councils, from the Met Office
The Met Office launched its Local Authority Climate Service in October 2024 – presenting climate data in a way that is clearer and more usable for councils. It offers ready-to-use, free climate information for every local area, simple summary reports of key results, and how-to guides for using the data in adaptation planning.
The service and its material can be used to find solid evidence for better decision-making, as a public engagement and communication tool, and as a training tool for staff. The service has been designed for use alongside the Local Partnership’s Climate Adaptation Toolkit.
The Local Authority Climate Service by the Met Office: Hannah Findley & Tim Mitchell
Work with partners – using a place-based approach
Sustainability West Midlands recommend a place-based approach – thinking about the overall adaptation needs of places and the people that live there, not the work of individual council departments. Quantitative and qualitative data can help build this picture, and it’s vital to engage stakeholders throughout your process.
A place-based approach will steer you to work closely with important partners – such as the NHS and water companies.
Top tips for adaptation planning: Alan Carr (Sustainability West Midlands)
Urban or rural, find inspiration from other local authorities.
Tried-and-tested solutions from other councils are an important source of reference and inspiration. Richmond and Wandsworth Councils’ new adaptation framework will launch in 2025. It’s been designed to provide a consistent approach to adaptation and resilience across the councils, to help set long-term priorities, and to inform local stakeholders of climate risks and how the authorities will help address them.
It builds on a climate risk and vulnerability assessment created with officers from public health, housing, infrastructure, business and public services departments. A new adaptation and resilience board will make sure the framework is being used by all relevant council teams. Its elements include a local climate risk map.
Adaptation and resilience strategies for two London boroughs: Nicola Wheeler (Richmond & Wandsworth)
Richmond and Wandsworth are innovating in the UK’s biggest city – but how can you respond to challenges faced by countryside communities? Herefordshire Council, which covers an area that is 95% rural, is now implementing an adaptation strategy developed with a range of stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union. See their lessons learned.
Herefordshire council’s climate adaptation plan and cross-sector working group: Mary Burton
