Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour party claimed their general election win with the slogan ‘Change begins now’ and with a promise to ‘hit the ground’ running’ on key green policies. Four weeks into the new government we take a look at those key policies, and how they relate to Cumbria.
Labour’s manifesto included a key pledge to maintain the binding 2050 net-zero target, as well as launching ‘Great British Energy’ within months of coming to power – all potentially good news for moving towards a renewable energy economy. We have already seen change in this area with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announcing the appointment of well-respected climate change expert Chris Stark to lead a new clean power “mission control” centre, described as a “a one-stop shop, bringing together a top team of industry experts and officials to troubleshoot, negotiate and clear the way for energy projects”.
In the first of two blogs we explore the green pledges in Labour’s manifesto from a Cumbria perspective.
Food and agriculture
- Half of all food purchased across the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards.
We need to significantly reduce the carbon impact of food consumption in Cumbria so this is helpful. The procurement policies of our large public sector organisations (such as local authorities, schools, prisons, hospitals) can contribute to increasing demand for local, low carbon produce. Through our Low Carbon Food Programme we are supporting the development of local low carbon food including consideration of production, processing, packaging, transportation and consumption. Our Westmorland and Furness Green Enterprise Hub can advise both public and private organisations about procurement policies.
Read Cumberland’s policy – which does mention the importance of locally produced and seasonal food – but stops short of giving targets for use.
Westmorland and Furness’ policy can be found here – this is currently being reviewed. They are committed to the ‘social value’ within their procurement policy, this covers some environmental targets, but stops short of the detail with local and seasonal food being used.
Individuals can also play a part in increasing demand for locally produced food. Home Grown Here – one of our Lottery Funding Projects – is a co-operative of growers and provides a veg box scheme.
- A land-use framework and land management schemes that work for farmers and nature
This has the potential to have a huge impact on land use and rural communities in Cumbria. We need to be able to balance food production with land use which enables the storage of carbon and which also supports biodiversity. . These are key points in the Zero Carbon Cumbria’s Land Use and Farming Emission Reduction and Sequestration Action Plan. [link] The Action Plan explores the potential for sequestration of carbon emissions by peat bogs and trees .
Climate Adaptation
- Stakeholders in the Fire and Rescue services to inform policy and establish national standards on adaptation
As well as reducing carbon emission, adaptation to the impact of climate change will become increasingly important. Our local Fire and Rescue services will be on the frontline of floods, droughts and wildfires. For a glimpse of the future climate in Cumbria, look to the Local Climate Adaptation Tool (LCAT) which has been developed by a consortium of organisations, including the emergency services. It details expectations under various climate models for Cumbria, including an increase in wildfires, rising sea levels and heat waves.
The resource can be used by local organisations to support planning and to access support: https://www.lcat.uk/
Corporate
- Mandating that UK-regulated financial institutions and FTSE 100 firms to develop and implement credible transition plans
- Make the UK the green finance capital of the world
- Committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy
The majority of businesses in Cumbria are SMEs and often micro-businesses. Whilst not FTSE 100 firms themselves, some will be suppliers to big corporates. We hope to see transition plans addressing supply chains and helping the smaller, local businesses to decarbonise too. We’re able to support small enterprises in Westmorland and Furness through our Green Enterprise Hub thanks to government levelling up funding which ends in 2025. It is not clear that further similar funding will be available to extend this service. In our experience, what small businesses seek most is grant funding to help them make the necessary changes to their processes, transport and buildings. Indeed, finance across many sectors is critical to Cumbria’s ambition to be net zero in carbon emissions by 2037 so we want to see Labour’s pledge on green finance delivering for rural areas.
Adopting a more circular approach to our economy will help us cut our carbon emissions in Cumbria. It means keeping materials in use for as long as possible and could lead to savings for businesses, less waste, strengthened local supply chains and less dependence on imports of raw materials. We look forward to hearing more about how government will support this locally, particularly in rural areas.
In the next blog we’ll explore energy policies and transport.
