24th November, 2025: Andy Burnham and Clare Ward join hundreds of cross-party local leaders, cabinet members and councillors in signalling support for a climate statutory duty as the Devolution Bill heads back to Parliament today.
Labour Mayors Burnham and Ward have signed a Friends of the Earth “climate plan” pledge calling for “statutory responsibilities” on climate as over 440 councillors from across England and from almost every major party sign an open letter in support of a climate duty and strengthened nature duties to be included in the Devolution Bill.
The councillors that signed the letter include 22 leaders or deputy leaders of councils, 61 council cabinet members, Labour London Assembly Member, Leonie Cooper and Labour Mayoral candidate for Hampshire & Solent, Lorna Fielker. The list of council leaders includes:
- Adam Hug – Leader of Westminster City Council (Labour)
- Phil Munday – Leader of Havant Borough Council (Labour)
- Scott Patient – Deputy Leader, Climate and Environment portfolio, Calderdale MBC (Labour)
- Chloe Turner – Leader of Stroud District Council (Green)
- Andy Mellen – Leader of Mid Suffolk District Council (Green)
- Lisa Spivey – Leader of Gloucestershire County Council (Liberal Democrat)
- Nick Ireland – Leader of Dorset Council (Liberal Democrat)
The letter was launched by Climate Emergency UK and UK100 as The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill reaches the Report Stage in the House of Commons.
Amendments to the Bill, due to be debated later on Monday, seek to introduce a new legal obligation for local authorities to prioritise climate action while strengthening their duties to protect nature in their communities.
The amendments have the backing of 24 cross-party MPs, making climate and nature duties one of the best supported proposals for consideration during the report stage of the Devolution Bill. Backers include Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat, Conservatives, and the Independent Alliance.
In support, the letter signed by local leaders and councillors calls on Ministers Miatta Fahnbulleh and Katie White to introduce new climate and nature duties modelled on the local health duty in the Bill.
The separate Friends of the Earth pledge signed by the Greater Manchester and East Midlands mayors calls for “statutory responsibilities needed to deliver fair, ambitious climate action in every community.”
Quotes:
Cllr Chloe Turner, Leader of Stroud District Council, said:
“Our Green-led council has shown what’s possible when climate action is prioritised, but to avoid a patchwork and postcode lottery of action across England, we need the government to back councils with proper funding and powers. A statutory duty must come with the resources to deliver real change for our communities.”
Cllr Mike Hakata, Cabinet lead for Climate Action, Environment and Transport at the London Borough of Haringey, said: “Haringey residents are experiencing the impacts of climate breakdown right now through extreme heat and flooding, and these will only intensify. Councils are at the forefront of climate action, and a statutory duty in the Devolution Bill would recognise the critical importance of this work and ensure all English councils have the framework and resources to deliver. We’ve shown what’s possible in Haringey through energy projects, robust building standards and active travel expansion, but we need government support to match the scale of the challenge ahead.”
Cllr Andrew Mellen, Leader of Mid Suffolk Council and UK100 Co-president, said: “The climate emergency doesn’t respect political boundaries, and neither should our response. This overwhelming cross-party support shows local leaders are ready to deliver, but we need the government to step up with the statutory framework, resources and powers that make ambitious action possible.”
Cllr Scott Patient, Deputy Leader, Climate and Environment portfolio, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, said:
“Calderdale lives the climate emergency through flooding. We’ve built strong partnerships and won recognition for our leadership, but trailblazing councils like Calderdale can’t tackle this alone. We need a statutory duty backed by the powers and investment to protect our communities and deliver the government’s national climate ambitions.”
Isaac Beevor, Partnerships Director of Climate Emergency UK, said:
“Local leaders are ready to deliver on climate action, but they’re being held back by fragmented funding, short-term thinking and a lack of clear legal footing.
“The report stage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is a pivotal moment. Ministers can seize this opportunity to put climate and nature duties into the Bill. And if they don’t, we’re calling on MPs to back the amendment.”
Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive of UK100, said:
“The extraordinary response from hundreds of councillors across almost every major party should be no real surprise. When we surveyed our members, nearly 90% of local authorities backed a statutory climate duty.
“Without this statutory backing, councils will continue fighting with one hand tied behind their backs while the window to act rapidly closes.”
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The open letter can be found here: https://bit.ly/StatutoryClimateAndNatureDuty
- The exact number of councillors that signed the letter is 441 at the time of sending
- Signatories to the letter had to verify their emails to ensure that their signatures were genuine
- Signatories included councillors almost every major party: Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat, and Conservative
Leaders/Deputy Leaders signing the letter include:
Labour
Adam Hug – Leader of Westminster City Council, Labour
Phil Munday – Leader of Havant Borough Council, Labour
Scott Patient – Deputy Leader, Climate and Environment portfolio, Calderdale MBC
Liberal Democrats:
Lisa Spivey – Leader of Gloucestershire County Council
Nick Ireland – Leader of Dorset Council
Mike Bell – Leader of North Somerset District Council
Mike Evemy – Leader of Cotswold District Council
Juliet Layton – Deputy Leader of Cotswold District Council
Peter Taylor – Elected Member of Watford Borough Council
Sarah Warren – Deputy Leader, Bath & North East Somerset
Sally Symington – Deputy Leader, Hertfordshire County Council
Green party:
Andrew Mellen – Leader of Mid Suffolk District
Chloe Turner – Leader, Stroud District Council
Ian Davison – Leader, Warwick District Council
Jim Martin – Leader, Folkestone & Hythe district
Catherine Braun – Deputy Leader, Stroud District Council
Adrian Birch – Leader, Forest of Dean District Council
Councillor Steve Ringham – Co-Leader, Runnymede District council
Helen Glavin – Leader of Lewes District
Cara Lavan – Deputy leader of Bristol City Council
Deborah Saw – Deputy Leader, Babergh District Council
Julia Hilton – Deputy Leader, Hastings District Council
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