Councils’ efforts to protect vulnerable people from the effects of climate change, such as floods and droughts, are ‘losing momentum’, a report commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned.
A review carried out for the charity of 35 local authorities’ plans to adapt to the impact of climate change found there is a ‘large variation in content, detail and progress made’.
The Socially just adaptation to climate change report, jointly written by researchers from the University of Leeds and the SQW consultancy, found authorities are just beginning to involve communities in their adaptation plans.
Vulnerable people were not a priority in most authorities’ plans, and where vulnerability was identified, the focus was more on places.
The research found the government’s axing of the requirement for councils to submit details on climate change plans, combined with public spending cuts, had reduced the priority to prepare.
Researchers today urged the government to use its National Adaptation Programme to ensure social justice is considered in climate change adaptation. JRF has also asked Whitehall to help vulnerable households at high risk of flooding get access to affordable insurance.
Local authorities should use new neighbourhood planning powers to ‘implement and resource socially just adaptation policies’, the foundation added.
Katharine Knox, programme manager at JRF, said the recent floods highlight the vulnerability of certain groups, such as older people.
‘With flooding only likely to increase due to climate change we need to ensure vulnerable people are protected through preventative work at a local level and in responding to extreme weather.
‘Climate change adaptation policies are not a statutory requirement and scarce resources mean this issue is being given less priority in some local authorities. But planning for the long run and acting now means there is potential for town halls to make savings, while protecting those who need help the most.’
Responding to the report, Hugh Ellis, the Town and Country Planning Association’s chief planner, said ‘adaptation is as much about securing the welfare of our communities as it is about tackling climate change’.
He added: ‘Extreme weather events such as the floods and droughts experienced in the UK are set to increase.
‘Local authorities have a responsibility to protect their people, property, and resources. The findings of this JRF report are extremely important in highlighting the need to consider people as well as places in our responses to tackling climate change.’
