SECA has joined forces with Hampshire Climate Action Network (HCAN) and 11 other climate action networks to call for statutory duties on climate and nature to be included in the English Devolution Bill.
The Devolution Bill is currently being drawn up in order to put it before Parliament in the Spring, so we have a vital window of opportunity. Without legally binding duties, climate and nature will take a back seat to other issues like growth and planning.
Support our campaign to make devolution work for climate and nature
The coming Devolution Bill must give our new strategic authorities the duty and the resources to plan coordinated action on the climate and nature crises.
This is particularly important in the SECA area because both “Hampshire and the Solent” and “Sussex and Brighton” have been given the go ahead to proceed towards strategic authorities, with other counties likely follow suit over time.
If you support what we are saying, please get the message broadcast loud and clear!
Here are some suggestions for action:
Write to your local MP: Write to your MP and ask them to “Make devolution work for climate and nature”. Give them the link to the SECA letter. Ask for their support and ask them to use their parliamentary channels to raise this with Angela Rayner (Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government), Jim McMahon (Minister for Devolution), Ed Miliband (Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero), and Steve Reed (Environment Secretary).
Respond to the consultations on devolution: If you live in East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton or the Isle of Wight, please reply to the Government devolution consultation for your area.
The closing date is 13 April. This is the link for the consultations.
There are seven questions on devolution. They all have agree/disagree choices, and there is a space for you to explain your answer.
Question 1 on the benefits of devolution, Question 2 on governance and Question 6 on the environment are the most relevant ones for our purpose. We suggest that for these questions you could “disagree”.
Then use the “explain your answer” sections to say in your own words that you think that the new authorities need statutory duties and resources to plan for climate and nature.
Here are some example suggestions for wording:
“Without statutory duties, Strategic Authorities will lack the mandate and accountability to drive climate action and nature restoration effectively.”
“Without legal responsibilities, climate and environmental initiatives have historically been shelved when budgets tighten.”
“Mayoral Combined Authorities are shaping our future. Yet, their statutory remit does not require them to safeguard our environment or fight climate change, the biggest challenges for our times.”
“Alongside a ‘health in all policies’ approach, there should be ‘climate and environment in all policies’ approach.“
You could add the link to the SECA letter to provide background.
If you would like to make a fuller response there are more ideas in these examples produced by HCAN.
Other actions : You might also consider sharing the link to the SECA letter with the leader of your county council, district council and parish council and asking for their support to make devolution work for climate and nature. The more we raise this issue from different directions, the more people will take notice.
If you would like to understand more about devolution and local government reorganisation, this is a very useful briefing document prepared by HCAN chair Chris Holloway, and Friends of the Earth has produced two videos: Introduction to Mayors and Introduction to the Devolution White Paper.
Thank you! Together we can make a difference.