Leveraging clean and green investment for longer-term financial resilience planning

Upskilling, cross-skilling and education initiatives are required at regional and national levels to effect meaningful improvements, writes Adele Gritten, chief executive of Local Partnerships.

Following publication of the government’s net zero strategy and commitments made at COP26, it is clear from our recent co-sponsored report, Mapping a route to clean, local growth, prepared by Localis, that local players from district through to regional levels are readying their places for a critical decade of adaptation and development.

As I commence my tenure at Local Partnerships, I see the mission critical role local authorities play in driving the agenda. Neighbourhood plans, local plans, retrofit initiatives and building standards can all be used to enact fast(er) change. Community energy projects, renewable energy generation capacity and district heat networks all offer exciting possibilities.

Good local government plays a guiding role in green placemaking and is the best partner to help achieve local growth

Upskilling, cross-skilling and education initiatives are required at regional and national levels to effect meaningful improvements. Then there’s electricity infrastructure – the backbone for place-based net zero. Understanding and fully financially appraising a local area’s energy requirements, ideally through the development of a local area energy plan, is key.

Holistic evaluation

Sound financing, investment cases and business models must be at the forefront of decision making. Councils and associated investment players will need to think differently about what collaboration could look like, given evolving macro-economic forces.

Holistically evaluating a council’s capital, assets, borrowing capabilities, risk appetite, income streams and longer-term cash flow requirements – all with a green lens – will lead to new financial partnerships, potential funding mechanisms and cash generation initiatives.

Multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder approaches to complex problem solving in the clean energy space are vital to achieve a better economy, thereby supporting local growth and long-term financial resilience. Good local government plays a guiding role in green placemaking and is the best partner to help achieve local growth. Local government is also best placed to bring together local partners to do what’s right for their area.

Local Partnerships forms a bridge between central government policy and local delivery. We also help the public sector to forge better and more productive relationships with the private sector. We can be a critical friend, sharing learning and connections whilst providing assurance and confidence to internal teams.

I invite local authorities to engage with us to help find the right local solutions. We are here to support councils to achieve and progress their climate ambitions at scale and pace

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