LONDON, 18 February 2025 — UK100, the UK's only cross-party network of local and regional authority leaders committed to ambitious climate action, today welcomed the government's Devolution Priority Programme consultations while warning that the proposals need to be more ambitious to deliver promised climate action.

Responding to the launch of six new devolution deal consultations, Philip Glanville, Director of Advocacy and Engagement at UK100, says:

"These devolution consultations mark a promising first step towards empowering local climate action. The scale of these six priority proposals should not be underestimated, they affect at least 19 of our member councils, including 11 district councils, who will potentially see their role and governance fundamentally reshaped.

"Despite the ongoing uncertainty for district councils, they continue to be powerhouses of climate innovation, from developing bold local plans to delivering pioneering retrofit strategies, even as they navigate complex reforms and reorganisation. Their resilience and commitment to local climate action remains inspiring.

"Among the positives, we welcome the strategic role for regions in Great British Energy's Local Power Plan and the Warm Homes Plan, which recognises the critical importance of local leadership in achieving the national clean energy mission and delivering the warm, healthy and affordable-to-run homes we so desperately need. We believe they could and should go further on a strategic overall climate role.

"However, the proposals miss critical opportunities. The absence of Local Area Energy Planning and specific powers for housing retrofit programmes means we're not yet fully leveraging local authorities' potential to drive the scale of change promised at the last election. When compared to trailblazer deals like Greater Manchester's, these proposals feel tentative rather than transformative."

The UK100 members directly involved in collaborating with the government on these proposals:

Cheshire & Warrington:

• Cheshire East Council

• Cheshire West and Chester Council

Hampshire and Solent:

• Portsmouth

• Southampton

Norfolk and Suffolk:

• Norfolk County Council

• Suffolk County Council

Greater Essex:

• Essex County Council

Brighton and Sussex:

• Brighton & Hove

The UK100 members affected,  but not formally involved in negotiating the deals:

Norfolk and Suffolk:

• North Norfolk District Council

• Norwich City Council

• Mid Suffolk District Council

• Babergh District Council

• West Suffolk Council

Brighton and Sussex:

• Lewes District Council

• Hastings Borough Council 

• Rother District Council

• Worthing Borough Council

• Crawley Borough Council

• Adur Borough Council