Finding the Balance: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate Change Adaptation at Different Levels of English Local Government

Abstract

This paper considers some of the opportunities and challenges of adapting to climate change across different scales of local government in England. Using two-tier municipalities (county and districts) in South East England as a case study, the authors suggest three themes that have proved important in shaping adaptation at the local government level: support by senior management, regulation (mostly in the form of a performance framework), and the challenge of finding the right level of prioritisation for adaptation. The research indicates that weather and climate risks can be limited in the case of the smaller district councils, but can be of higher priority for larger county councils, which have more substantial assets and services available to them. The paper concludes by suggesting that the focus of UK public sector reform on local partnerships may present an opportunity to increase cross-organisational understanding of adaptation at the local level. At the same time, it can increase awareness of climate vulnerability within localities as a whole.