The cuts in carbon emissions that we need to make over the next decade can’t be delivered without action by local authorities. But in order to scale up action, councils need more long term resourcing and the right powers to tackle climate change.

That is why Kingston Council, in south-west London, is one of 130 authorities to have signed the Blueprint for Accelerating Climate Action and a Green Recovery at the Local Level. The plan – produced by Friends of the Earth, local government associations and others – aims to give councils more resources and regulatory and financing powers.

The Blueprint calls for a joint local and central government taskforce on climate change, supported by other stakeholders, to take policy proposals forward. It also identifies five key priorities for government:

1. investing in low carbon and resilient infrastructure
2. supporting reskilling, retraining and research for a net-zero economy
3. upgrading homes and buildings
4. making it easy for people to walk, cycle or use public transport and to work remotely or flexibly
5. accelerating tree planting, peatland restoration, the creation of green spaces, and other green infrastructure.

 Kingston Council signed up to the Blueprint in November 2020. The council already plays an active role in lobbying both national and regional government on environmental issues. The Council has raised concerns with proposed changes to planning regulation, on the expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, and on waste. At the regional level, the Council has lobbied to get more clean buses into the area, and for funding for active travel.

Signing up to the blueprint has amplified the council’s voice, and helped it call for fundamental reform and backing from government to take more effective climate action.