.svg)
Climate Leadership Academy
The Climate Leadership Academy is UK100's flagship training programme, equipping locally elected politicians to deliver on their local climate ambitions at pace and scale. Since 2022, we have trained more than 80 local leaders with the skills they need to create a nation of communities which tackle climate change together. Our residential programme is taking a break in 2026, but the Climate Leadership Academy continues to deliver high-quality training for local leaders and officers — and will return in full soon.
What is it?
Each autumn, a cross-party cohort of 20 local leaders from across the UK undertake training to increase their policy knowledge, and to develop the leadership skills vital to transforming ambition into action.
Over 18 sessions, experts from the public, private, academic and voluntary sectors provide the insight, experience and expertise key to delivering pioneering local climate action. Supplemented by six months of 1-1 coaching, and continued opportunities for peer learning via our graduate network, the programme is an “unmissable” opportunity to foster the next generation of local climate leaders.
Who’s it for?
The Climate Leadership Academy is for locally elected politicians in positions of power, ambitious to create thriving places powered by clean energy, with fresh air to breathe, warm homes to live in, and a healthy natural environment. Previous cohorts have included council leaders, cabinet members, committee chairs, and scrutiny leads.
Are you ready to take the next step in your local climate journey? Express your interest in next year’s Academy cohort, and you will be first to know when applications open.
How does the process work?
Applications for the Climate Leadership Academy open in spring, following local elections each year.
- March - April: Applications for the Climate Leadership Academy open in spring, following local elections each year.
- September - December: The residential programme takes place from September - December, with 1-1 coaching continuing into the spring of the next year.
- January: Following the training, participants are welcomed into our graduate network, for continued peer learning opportunities.
What our members say
“The Climate Leadership Academy came at just the right time for me. Having completed my first year as councillor and Executive Member for climate, waste, and sustainability, it was fantastic to be part of a learning team of peers from all different councils and political persuasion, knowing we all want to achieve the same thing.”
“UK100 has been a game changer for us in Calderdale as we have a team of technical experts, but what we needed was to develop our leadership of climate action. That is UK100’s real strength - the really wide range of leadership skills that we can then apply to the climate agenda, and the network of inspiration that we can learn from.”
“In truth, deciding to put my name forward took a great deal of soul-searching, it's a huge commitment to give up three weekends and travel across the country, but I'm so glad that I did. The opportunity to network with 19 other equally committed Councillors from across both the country and political spectrum alone would make this commitment worthwhile. However, include the wide-ranging topics and impressive speakers and this opportunity is unmissable.”
