730. Both the National Audit Office (NAO) and the Climate Change Committee (CCC) have recommended the introduction of a local net zero framework to define local roles and responsibilities. The CCC's latest progress report noted:
"It remains unclear how central, devolved and local government will operate coherently towards the net zero goal."528
731. And the NAO has said:
"[T]here are serious weaknesses in central government's approach to working with local authorities on decarbonisation, stemming from a lack of clarity over local authorities' overall roles, piecemeal funding, and diffuse accountabilities."529
732. This lack of clarity is creating blocks in the system for those local authorities that want to be proactive in delivering net zero. The Net Zero Strategy went further than previously in clarifying roles and responsibilities between central and local government, which was welcomed by many local stakeholders. However, more than a year later, local authorities still have gaps and uncertainties about their role.
733. It is impractical for central government to lay out precise roles and responsibilities for all areas of net zero. In some areas these are already well understood, in many these will differ between different tiers of authority, and in others the landscape will change so quickly that a detailed framework may be counter-productive. However, a high-level framework and an agreement to close future partnership working between central and local government would help provide clarity, certainty, and accountability for local areas.
734. Such a partnership would allow for quicker and easier identification of problems and areas where there is a lack of clarity. To complement the framework and partnership agreement, central and local government should work together to create more detailed guidance in areas where it is needed.
735. For example, many areas want to undertake Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP), an approach that aims to identify the most effective route for an area to decarbonise its energy supply, which can be a foundational building block for net zero plans. This is an area where more precise central government guidance would be helpful:
"[LAEP] could underpin a clearer, more evidence-based process to identify key collective investments and strategic choices that could achieve a more cost-effective local balance of energy resources, including opportunities to partner with local industrial clusters." - Energy Systems Catapult530
736. However, there is currently a lack of guidance from central government on who should undertake this planning and how - the CCC recommends that central government needs to provide "clear guidance on who should be responsible for and involved in producing [local area energy] plans."531 Devolved governments in Scotland and Wales have issued clear guidance on LAEP which has not yet been replicated in England.
737. There may also be areas where the local role in achieving net zero is not yet clear, or where the economic value of a place-based approach has not been determined. In such cases, government should work with local areas to pilot different approaches and test their value for money, and/or research existing local and international examples of best practice to determine the most effective role for local areas to play.
738. The Local Net Zero Forum - set up recently on the back of the Net Zero Strategy to improve communication between local and central government - is well placed to undertake this work, but it needs ministerial buy-in to help solve some of the issues facing local authorities. Relevant ministers from across government should attend the Forum on a regular basis, with the same focus on action and problem-solving that was seen in the sector through the COVID-19 pandemic.
739. The Office for Net Zero Delivery (see Part 1) could seek to support the implementation of the framework by encouraging regional coordination and collaboration, working closely with the Local Net Zero Hubs.