In May 2026, elections across England saw the political make-up of local government transformed. In town and county halls up and down the country, new administrations took power, many for the first time, and often forming new coalition arrangements. Whilst explicit mentions of climate were conspicuous by their absence in the campaign, climate-adjacent issues were high on the agenda. Local climate action has the power to deliver cheaper bills, cleaner air, healthier communities, better transport, and so much more. And with 68% of the public supporting government action on climate change, and many new administrations elected or returned on a strong mandate of local climate action, it is clear that leaders will need to deliver for both climate and communities as they take their first steps in power.

To support new local leaders in their first weeks in office, UK100 brought together a cross-party panel of members to draw on their insights and experiences in moving from election to action on climate. If you are a newly-elected local leader, or a leader or officer planning for the year ahead, watch the session back and read on for their top tips.

Embed climate across your plans, and know your power

Ambitious action is built on strong foundations. Taking the time to translate your political manifesto into a strategic plan provides the opportunity to clarify your core priorities, and to understand how climate interacts with them. Cllr Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council, highlighted how climate, rather than serving as a stand-alone priority, has been embedded across Dorset Council’s strategic plans, in recognition that local climate action delivers benefits for economic growth, health, transport, and more.

This is also the opportunity to explore the full suite of levers and powers available to local authorities. UK100 co-president Cllr Andy Mellen spelt them out as the 4 Ps: policy, planning, partnerships, and procurement, each integral to climate delivery.

Save money by spending on local climate action

UK100 co-president Cllr Richard Clewer highlighted how local climate delivery unlocked savings for Wiltshire Council under his leadership. Schemes which cut Wiltshire Council’s scope 1 emissions equated to annual savings of approximately £3m, demonstrating that local climate projects, far from being costly, can free up vital money in tight local authority budgets.

Meanwhile, Louise Krupski, former deputy mayor at the London Borough of Lewisham, proposed auditing and defending existing climate budgets as soon as possible, before savings conversations start, as well as preparing for current and future funding opportunities on offer such as the Warm Homes and Local Power Plans.

Build relationships with residents and local stakeholders

Cllr Ireland spoke to the importance of doing things with, rather than to, communities, to build local support for climate action. Louise brought this to life through the example of co-designing local traffic intervention schemes with communities – which, without meaningful engagement, can generate loud, derailing opposition. If your political capital allows for it, introducing such schemes early in your administration can provide time for residents to adjust, schemes to be tweaked, and for the co-benefits to be realised. UK100 and Involve’s local climate engagement hub hosts many more case studies on how public engagement can unlock the successful delivery of your local climate ambition.

Identifying a range of local stakeholders is also key to building community trust: Louise encouraged new leaders to take one concrete action to support local community energy groups in their first 100 days. Meanwhile Cllr Mellen pointed to Mid Suffolk District Council’s work with schools, engaging young people in the council’s plans for local green jobs and skills.

And don’t forget the council chamber and your officers

Cllr Clewer recommended focusing on the climate wins which can command support across the council chamber, to build political consensus and highlighted the importance of developing relationships with officers.. This approach underpinned one of his key climate wins: a mass council home retrofit project, bringing homes up to EPC B standard, as a result of trusting officers to spend money and deliver, within clearly established parameters. Cllr Ireland also shared how he has helped work across the chamber by bringing opposition councillors into his cabinet, despite commanding a majority.

Get your messages right

Cllr Mellen echoed UK100’s 2025 Beyond targets research: the traditional language of ‘net zero’ may no longer be landing, but that is not to say that public support for the outcomes of climate action is waning. By reframing local climate action through the countless benefits it delivers for voters’ other priorities, we can continue to build support. Cllr Ireland put it simply: voters’ priorities – the cost of living, warm homes, good jobs, and healthier communities – can all be delivered upon through local climate action.

Understanding which messages are likely to work with various groups within the community can be just as tricky as deploying them. To better connect with residents, Cllr Clewer recommended reading More in Common’s seven segments of Britain, and Climate Outreach’s Britain Talks Climate & Nature, both key components of UK100’s communications and engagement training programme UK100 Connect.

Convene and collaborate to unlock pounds and progress

Cllr Mellen identified local authorities’ two superpowers: the power to convene, and the power to collaborate. These two powers underpin UK100’s work too, creating spaces where local and strategic authorities, national government, businesses and local stakeholders can come together to learn from one another, share challenges, and advocate for the solutions that work.

Louise illustrated this through her own experience of participating in UK100’s Climate Leadership Academy. A conversation with a cabinet member at Birmingham City Council prompted Louise to introduce a new active travel strategy in Lewisham, providing strategic direction and clarity which unlocked the council’s best settlement with TfL to date, and supported the borough’s successful bid for the £10m Better Bus Partnership. In short, convening and collaborating to unlock stronger partnerships, new sources of funding, and accelerated local climate action.

Deliver with UK100

As the local government map shifts, there are risks, but also plenty of things to look forward to, from the growth in clean and community energy to the roll-out of heat networks. With a more supportive policy and funding landscape,, the role of elected councillors has never been more crucial. Our leaders highlighted how, short of being a deprioritised expense, local climate action is the key to unlocking progress across the board, and UK100 is here to support you to hit the ground running, whether these are your first steps in power or an opportunity to refocus and accelerate delivery.

Sign up to attend UK100’s summer programme of events, browse our publications, blogs, and case studies on our Knowledge Hub, and if you want to learn how we can support your authority, get in touch to book a call with the team.