- Conference
- 2022 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 1 January 2022
- Decision
- Carried
Conference recognises the climate emergency and supports the de-carbonisation ambitions of national and devolved governments. Conference notes the key role that local government will play in delivering net zero strategies, being uniquely placed to lead by example and also increase public awareness of the scale and pace of change needed to meet the climate emergency.
Conference notes that councils are key to meeting emission targets. They are directly responsible for between 2% and 5% of their local area’s emissions and play a significant role in emissions reduction due to their powers over housing, planning, transport, waste and other issues.
Conference notes the failure of Glasgow Climate Pact, the outcome of COP26, to live up to the crisis of climate change. The measures in the pact, if all are achieved, will still see global temperatures rise above the 1.5 degrees, and no more than 2 degrees, above pre-industrial levels that was agreed in the Paris Agreement as necessary to prevent disastrous climate change.
Conference recognises that the ambition to tackle climate change is not matched by the actions of the UK government and many more particularly in the developed world.
Conference recognises that climate change is impacting now on our members’ workplaces, jobs and service delivery through the:
1) Increasing frequency of severe weather events and the associated disruption, risks and costs
2) Increasing temperatures in workplaces and for outdoor workers
3) Need to develop new skills and train in new technologies
4) Worsening air quality in workplaces and when travelling to and from work.
Conference recognises the need for all councils to have climate change adaptation policies to meet these already occurring impacts of climate change.
Conference welcomes the declarations of a climate emergency declared by many councils which is a recognition of the seriousness of the issue and a recognition that councils are part of the solution, as well as part of the problem.
Conference welcomes the fact that 91% of councils have adopted at least one net-zero commitment and 38% of single and upper tier authorities have declared intentions to decarbonise their local area by or before 2030.
Conference welcomes the publication, during COP26, of UNISON’s report ‘Getting to net zero in UK public services: The road to decarbonisation’ which details the measures and costs for public services to meet climate targets.
Local authorities are directly responsible for between 2- 5% of their local area’s emissions and so the decarbonisation of local government is critical. This will require significant investment from central government to enable councils to meet the challenge and political will at local level to implement a transition to zero-carbon local authorities.
Conference recognises that such a transition presents significant challenges to the workforce with a need for new skills to be developed, changes in working practices and how services are delivered and that therefore there is a need to negotiate a just transition for local authorities both at a national and at a local level.
Local authorities have been at the forefront of investment and innovation in energy, transport, buildings, and procurement for many years. As we cautiously look towards a post-Covid future, there are opportunities for realising some of the co-benefits of investing in a green recovery, such as improved health and wellbeing, better digital connectivity, improved housing and schools, and reduced fuel poverty.
However, conference recognises that local authorities’ powers in relation to housing, planning, transport, waste and other issues are key to delivering the transition. As such, local authorities have a direct impact on the government’s commitment to achieve ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and 2045 in Scotland, beyond the issue of their direct emissions.
During the crisis CO2 emissions fell by 17% and we know that new behaviours such as home working, increased use of technology and digital delivery of services, amongst others, have helped to achieve this.
Whilst the immediate focus is about managing and recovering from the current crisis, there is an opportunity to build on these changes and create a sustainable low-emissions society.
If local government is to lead by example, there must be adequate funding in place to ensure that no-one is left behind, including the workforce, in the transition to a carbon neutral society.
Last year, UNISON research uncovered a budget shortfall for councils in England, Scotland and Wales of £3 billion. Conference believes this will jeopardise the climate targets of local authorities. Councils will be left with a false choice between delivering essential services or meeting climate targets. It is UNISON members and their families who will pay the cost environmentally, health-wise and financially, with jobs under threat as council budgets become squeezed further.
Research undertaken on behalf of UNISON last year estimated that to deal with the climate crisis, local government required both the largest upfront investment (£68 billion) and additional operational budget (£0.5 billion a year) of all the public services due to its responsibility for building retrofits, active travel infrastructure and the need to enhance waste collection and processing services.
UNISON research has demonstrated that local delivery of decarbonisation and retrofitting of public buildings, social and community housing would create over 240,000 jobs over fifteen years, or even more jobs if this work is done more urgently over a shorter time period. Green job creation in local government is urgent given that the UK Committee on Climate Change has stated that the next decade is critical if we are to transition to ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Conference believes that UNISON has a vital role to play in campaigning for greener policies nationally and in the workplace. This will involve working with employers every step of the way to ensure that the transition to ‘net zero’ is fair to every worker. The active support and engagement of local government workers is crucial.
Conference recognises that UNISON and our local government branches and activists have a key role to play in achieving the decarbonisation of councils and in negotiating the just transition necessary. Union reps and members are experts in the services they provide and are a knowledge base for ideas needed to realise net zero ambitions in local government.
Conference therefore calls on the Local Government Service Group Executive to:
a) Develop guidance for all sectors on the bargaining issues relating to climate change, adaptation and a just transition for the local government workforce;
b) Campaign for, and raise awareness of what a worker focussed ‘Just Transition’ would look like in practice in local government;
c) Campaign and lobby for adequate funding for local government across the UK and Northern Ireland to meet net-zero ambitions; demand the level of central government funding needed to meet the climate change crisis as outlined in UNISON’s report ‘Getting to Net Zero.’;
d) Lobby central government for an additional decarbonisation funding stream for local government services to enable local authorities to reach ‘net zero’ targets without further cuts to local services;
e) Call on central government to provide local government with the statutory powers to oversee and make decisions around the local delivery of decarbonisation and retrofitting of public building and social housing;
f) Encourage all bargaining groups in local government to develop a clear just transition strategy for negotiation with employers including skills audits, introduction of electric vehicles, allowances and facilities that encourage active travel to and during work, workplace recycling facilities, appropriate home working policies to reduce emissions due to travelling to work, etc;
g) Conduct research into council estimates on the cost of reaching ‘net zero’ at a local level and share the findings with branches;
h) Campaign for local authorities to develop renewable energy generating capacity, municipally owned, for the benefit of council services and their communities;
i) Lobby for the involvement of union reps at all levels of the decarbonisation discussions taking place in local government;
j) Support the training and development of UNISON Green Reps in local government and associated sectoral employers;
k) Encourage all bargaining groups in local government to seek recognition for UNISON trained Green Reps allowing facility time to take forward climate issues in workplaces and to support bargaining at a local level;
l) Work with the sectors and regions to negotiate with employers and employers’ sides for facility time for union environment reps; campaign and negotiate for time off for Green Reps to participate fully at employer level.
m) Provide guidance to reps on first steps to negotiating on environmental issues;
n) Identify good practice examples of UNISON environmental projects in local government;
o) Continue to promote UNISON training sessions on environmental issues to regions and branches;
p) Continue to promote regional and local events to raise awareness of climate breakdown and its implications for UNISON members.