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Do local authorities have the legal power?

Do local authorities have the legal power?

Local authorities have numerous powers which they can use to tackle climate change.

The Local Government Association has recently undertaken a review of the powers available to local authorities to tackle climate change. It identified the key powers as:

  • The power to promote wellbeing
  • Powers to change own estate and operations
  • Community leadership powers
  • Powers to involve local people
  • Joint working powers
  • Planning powers
  • Transport powers
  • Housing powers
  • Financial powers
  • Emergency planning powers
  • Environmental protection powers
  • Powers under the Sustainable Communities Act
  • Subsidiary powers

Resources

  1. Cutting through the Green Tape: the powers councils have to tackle climate change, Local Government Association, 2008. This explains how councils can use a range of powers to tackle climate change with examples of how they have been used.
  2. Local Authority Legal Powers to promote Sustainable Energy, Impetus Consulting Ltd for the Pilkington Energy Efficiency Trust, 2006. Includes several examples of how local authorities have used the Wellbeing Power to support sustainable energy projects.
  3. The LGA's Powerpack explains the Power to Promote Wellbeing and how it may be used.

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