Developing effective climate policy in a multi-authority local area

This project explores climate policy governance in a multi-level local authority area via a case study of Surrey based on interviews with climate policy actors across sectors and local government levels. It poses these questions:

• How can we develop and coordinate climate policy effectively at local level?
• How can a local authority area such as a county, with multiple elected councils, a wide range of stakeholders, a complex web of cross-sector partnerships, and a mix of towns, suburbs and rural areas, best organise itself to make climate strategies work?

As a multi-authority county on the edge of London, with local councils ranging from highly urbanised areas to largely rural districts, Surrey needs to bring together a very diverse set of stakeholders in climate governance. The county’s local authorities are developing their own climate strategies; so are many stakeholder organisations. Surrey is home to several strategic partnerships - on energy and nature conservation, for example. So, the governance scene is rich and complex and stakeholders agree that there is a need for clarity and coherence in orchestration of climate action.

This project is examining these issues via mapping of policy actors and strategies, interviews and literature review.

• Identify challenges, opportunities and effective practice for SCC and partners in mobilising and coordinating action across sectors and tiers of governance
• Generate case studies, tools and guidelines on effective climate governance in a multi-level local government system such Surrey
• Identify indicators and management tools for multi-level climate governance for SCC and partners, and for PCAN stakeholders.