LONDON, 17 JULY — Responding to the King’s Speech, Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive of UK100, the UK’s only cross-party network of local leaders committed to ambitious climate action, says:

"With 40 bills announced, the King's Speech shows a government determined to make good and move quickly on its promise of change. And it’s good to see a clear and confident thread of climate action throughout."

Focusing on local climate action — or the lack thereof — in the King’s Speech, Hammond adds:

"The English Devolution Bill represents a generational opportunity to connect devolution and climate action to deliver economic growth. Devolving power is welcome, but without integrating climate action from the outset, it doesn't give a clear enough steer for councils to align with the Government’s national missions. UK100 and our network of local leaders stand ready to work with Ministers to ensure climate action is at the heart of this transformative legislation."

Hammond also notes that "local leaders support Labour's planning reform and clean energy missions but want to see a role for local authorities and communities".

ENDS

A longer quote from Christopher Hammond

Responding to the King’s Speech, Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive of UK100, the UK’s only cross-party network of local leaders committed to ambitious climate action, says:

"With 40 bills announced, the King's Speech shows a government determined to make good and move quickly on its promise of change. It is worth noting that this is the first time the King has talked about the importance of climate action in Parliament."

Focusing on the local climate action in the King’s Speech, Hammond adds:

"The English Devolution Bill is a key piece of legislation to unlock Labour’s missions to kickstart sustainable economic growth, take back control in our communities and deliver lasting planning reform to deliver the homes so badly needed across the country. Not to overstate its importance, but the Bill represents a generational opportunity to unlock the connection between economic growth and local climate ambitions."

"However, while the signals are good, we're concerned that The Bill doesn't yet acknowledge that economic growth needs both devolution and climate action to be completely integrated. UK100, our network of local leaders and scores of local leaders recently elected to Parliament stand ready to work with Ministers to ensure that climate action is recognised as a key component of the new Devolution Bill. If done right, the Bill can be the foundation upon which a decade of renewal is built.”

About UK100

UK100’s primary purpose is to support a local-led rapid transition to Net Zero and Clean Air. We do this through collaboration. 

To accelerate action, we believe in bringing together the most influential leaders across the country to learn together and agree on priorities for legislative and regulatory change while empowering them to engage with national decision-makers. 

We provide our network with the knowledge, tools and connections to make this happen.

UK100.org