Regional Climate Change Partnerships

The nine English regions have all made commitments on climate change which will be relevant to local authorities. Most have published climate change plans with targets and actions that are likely to need some degree of local implementation or support. Even if this isn't the case, there will be a raft of regional strategies in place which have significant climate change implications, eg. renewable energy targets in the Regional Spatial Strategy, and where local authority action can make a contribution.

In English regions, the responsibility for climate change is usually shared between the Regional Assembly, Regional Development Agency (RDA) and Government Office, with different bodies taking the lead role from one region to another. The Environment Agency is often another key regional partner, although its regional network is not co-terminus with the Government Office regions. Most regions have some kind of multi-sector climate change partnership and coordinator in place to drive action. The way in which these are resourced and organised varies across regions. The key regional contacts, plans and main activities can be found from the website links below.

Government expectations regarding the regional contribution to climate change activity is perhaps not as well defined as it is for local authorities, but RDAs have a clear role in energy and the transition towards a low carbon economy, whilst Regional Assemblies play a crucial role through their planning, housing and transport functions. Government Offices are playing a direct role in the Local Area Agreement process. Regional governance is in a state of flux due to the Sub National Review of Economic Development, so things will inevitably change as Regional Assemblies are phased out by 2010.

In some regions the Nottingham Declaration has become a rallying call and the East Midlands and North East were the first and second respectively to get all their local authorities publicly committed to tackling climate change. There is clearly scope to achieve more when local government and regions act collectively. Regional bodies are more likely to provide financial support to councils if there is the potential for region-wide impact.

The regional coordinators across the whole of the UK meet regularly to share ideas and best practice in a network facilitated by the UK Climate Impacts Programme.

For further information about regional and devolved activities click on the links below.

East of England Climate Change Partnership c/o www.eeda.org.uk
East Midlands Climate Change Steering Group
London Climate Change Partnership
North East Climate Change Partnership
Northwest Climate Change Partnership
South East Climate Change Partnership
South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership
West Midlands Climate Impacts and Adaptation Partnership
Yorkshire and Humber Climate Change Executive Group
Scotland Climate Change Impacts Partnership