We are facing a climate catastrophe. Scientists have warned that we have 12 years to take emergency action on climate change, or we face the gravest threats to our local and global environment. This includes worsening risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. We must act urgently, starting by immediately declaring a climate emergency.

If we let global warming go beyond 1.5°C, coral reefs will be completely eradicated, populations of insects that pollinate plants will be decimated, and ice-free summers in the arctic will be commonplace.

Humankind is at a crossroads. Now it is time for our elected representatives Dartford Borough Council to act by declaring Climate Emergency.  

Humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. But it’s not too late. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report says that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible - but it requires ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and local communities.

In order to avert climate disaster, we are calling on the Dartford Council to:

Tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

Act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025.

Create, and be led by, the decisions of a citizens' assembly on climate and ecological justice.

Stop promoting measures that increase greenhouse gases – for example, increasing road capacity. There is many years of evidence that shows that new road capacity simply encourages more traffic and therefore increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Stop allowing for increased expansion of aviation within local plans.

Encourage greater use of public transport, cycling and walking by development of new cycling routes as well as maintenance of existing ones.

Support the development of car-sharing – for example through extensive parking for car clubs.

Ensure rapid transition of own fleet electric vehicles –the Energy Savings Trust can work with the council to undertake a ‘grey fleet’ review and support this transition. The grey fleet is vehicles that are required to be used by council staff but not owned by the council.

Integrate the need to reduce car use into the local plan – this requires a range of measures, including: ensuring dense housing development with quality walking & cycling; restricted car parking provision; the provision of transport & delivery hubs to enable the use of cargo bikes and similar for deliveries; and support for climate adaptation measures such as green space and green architecture (e.g. roofs, walls, etc.).

Implement the transition of the current bus stops to 'bee stops'.

Invest in active travel infrastructure and quality public transport - London is aiming for 80% of journeys to be by foot, bike or public transport by 2041, up from 60% currently.

Greater Manchester has committed to a ten-year plan to build 120km of segregated cycle routes on main roads, and over 1,400 new or upgraded cycle and pedestrian crossings.

Transport for Quality of Life has produced detailed briefings on how public transport and active travel needs to be developed and supported.

Require the use of electric buses - on bus subsidised routes require the use of electric or hydrogen buses (but only if the hydrogen has been made using electrolysis powered by renewable energy).

In England local authorities can use the Buses Act to work in partnership with bus companies to move towards low carbon buses for all routes, although the powers to achieve this differ from area to area.

Combined authorities with a mayor are likely to have the greatest powers through franchising. 

Put in place EV charging - at council owned locations and facilitate rapid rollout of private-charging facilities.

Enforce minimum energy efficiency standards in private rented sector – Newham Council in London has pioneered the use of licencing to identify rented homes and ensure full cost recovery of proper regulation and enforcement of housing standards.

Use powers to require higher standards than current national standards for new build – ideally all new homes and commercial properties should be zero carbon or even better built to Passivhaus standard.  Local authorities are unable to mandate this standard.

However, thanks to the Green Building Council and Core Cities, the government has clarified that “local authorities are not restricted in their ability to require energy efficiency standards above Building Regulations”.

Ipswich and Cambridge councils have included a requirement for all new homes to meet a standard equivalent to the Code for Sustainable Homes level 4. This delivers a 19%  improvement on the current national standards.

In London the Mayor’s powers are greater and the standard for new homes is zero carbon.

Help energy companies target fuel poor or vulnerable households with energy efficiency measures – the Government has produced guidance to allow local authorities to identify the fuel poor or vulnerable houses to energy companies. The energy companies then insulate these as part of their legal ECO obligations.

Retrofit council-owned properties - deep retrofit of all council-owned social housing, schools and other council properties to Energy Performance Certificate c or higher. This should include fitting eco-heating and developing heat networks where appropriate.

Local authorities own around 7% of housing in England.

Enforce building standards - enforce planning/building conditions to ensure all new builds are meeting the targets they were granted permission for.

Adopt circular economy waste policies – for example in local plans, minerals plans and waste management plans and contracts, as well as promoting community sharing, reuse and recycling.

Zero waste to landfill or incineration - in waste disposal contracts ensure biodegradable waste, such as food waste and paper/cardboard, is recycled, composted or used to generate biogas (see below). Note local authority waste contracts tend to be very long, so in many places the ability to influence these may be very low.

Identify areas suitable for renewable energy in the local plan - the NPPF states that new onshore wind cannot be approved outside an area “identified as suitable for wind energy” unless it is a community-led scheme.

Friends of the Earth research suggests only around a quarter of new local plans are identifying such areas. The potential for future onshore wind deployment in England will be heavily diminished unless this is rectified.

Require renewable energy such as solar thermal, PV or heat pumps – this needs to be done in local authority developments, but also private sector developments.

Switch street lighting to well-designed and well directed LED lights – well-designed and well directed LEDs can prevent urban sky-glare whereas dimming at certain times both saves energy and is less harmful for nature.

Investment in LED street lighting is expected to pay back with eight years. Solihull plans to have replaced all its 24,000 street lights by 2024 cutting its total energy costs in half to just £612,000 and reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent. 

Reduce energy use in own estate and add renewable energy - the Re-fit Framework supported by the Government and the Local Government Association and used by some local authorities, such as City of Cardiff Council, uses an Energy Performance Contracting approach to deliver guaranteed energy efficiency improvements and energy production for their own estate.

Divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy projects – many local authorities have now chosen to divest their investments from fossil fuels.

Campaigners in Waltham Forest , Southwark , Haringey, Hackney, South Yorkshire and Merseyside have all persuaded their councils to move money out of the coal, oil and gas companies whose actions are fuelling climate change.

Commit to opposing fracking and other fossil fuel extraction – both on council owned lands but also more widely. Greater Manchester combined authorities have committed to oppose any fracking and have embedded this opposition in their draft plan.

Produce biogas - in the waste contract require the production of biogas from non-recyclable biodegradable waste. Biogas is an important contribution to decarbonising the gas grid. Heating of homes and commerce using gas is one of the largest source of greenhouse gases in the UK.

Develop district heating - map out and develop district heating, as long as it’s from low carbon sources. Enfield Council has formed a company that aims to provide lower carbon heat and hot water to around 15,000 residents with an explicit aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

Explore forming a non-profit green energy company - Bristol City Council has formed an Energy Company (Bristol Energy) which aims to be in profit in 2021 with those profits invested in the city for energy efficiency.

In a fiercely competitive energy market it remains to be seen is this approach will succeed or not.

Nottingham City Council also has an energy company which only sells green energy. Norwich is launching a ‘white label’ energy company. White label companies partner with an existing supplier to provide energy, in effect acting as an intermediary but benefiting from being a bulk purchaser.

These example have primarily been set-up to help resident reduce fuel bills, particularly those in fuel poverty. It is as yet uncertain if these have reduced greenhouse gases.

Buy green energy –Local authorities are major energy purchases. According to the LGA local authorities spend more than three-quarters of a billion pounds on energy alone.

Sheffield City Council has recently committed to only buying green electricity which it says will not cost much more than its existing source. However it is important that such a shift increases the amount of renewable energy produced, for example through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

A PPA is a long-term purchasing contract with a developer which gives the developer the necessary confidence to build the renewable power plant. Power Purchase Agreements could also be used to support the development of community-owned energy schemes.

Aim to win on sustainability – Nottingham City Council were named as ‘highly commended’ in the category for sustainable procurement in 2018.  Sheffield City Council were also short-listed. 

There is undoubtedly significant scope for local authorities across the UK to improve procurement processes to deliver on environmental and social goals.

Require deliveries to be by cargo bikes.

Use council land to drawdown carbon (e.g. tree planting) - not all local authority land is registered but will be by 2025, but some local authorities will have sizable levels of land ownership (e.g. Hampshire has over 2000 hectares of land).

This land could be managed to offset carbon (e.g. through tree planting, soil carbon management, etc.). Managing green spaces alongside roads and in urban settings can also contribute.

This will make a positive difference in carbon emissions.

Green infrastructure in towns and cities will also aid climate adaptation. Many local authorities now produce green infrastructure strategies.

Ensure the Sub-national Transport Body strategy is in-line with carbon budgets – These and other groupings of local authorities are important for setting an agreed strategic direction and it is important that the strategies they write are in-line with the carbon budgets set by the Committee on Climate Change.

Transport is a particularly important area, but local authorities also come together in other areas, for example in purchasing of energy.

Influence LEPS - Local authorities have a very important role in cajoling or convening others. This particularly includes through non-statutory Local Economic Partnerships in England (38 in total).

These are business-led partnerships that include local authorities. They are focussed on economic growth and they access government grants in a range of areas, including for housing, transport and energy.

Install water dispensers across the area in places like the train station, park, library and others. 

Local authorities need to actively influence the development of LEP strategies and proposals to ensure they embed carbon reduction.

Provide advice – local authorities are well placed to provide advice to individuals and businesses.

Manchester City Council has supported a charity called ‘Carbon Literacy Project’. This charity aims to help individuals, businesses and others in Manchester and elsewhere better understand climate change and what can be done to tackle it. The charity is also helping educate Councillors and council officers around the country.

Local authorities can also help homes and businesses link-up with energy companies for grants, for example the Warm Up Bristol programme and the Better Homes Yorkshire programme.