LOCAL CLIMATE ACADEMY
JUNE-JULY 2024

INSPIRE AND SUPPORT YOUR COUNCIL TO TAKE BETTER CLIMATE ACTION

Are you a candidate in a local election this year? The next Local Climate Academy (LCA) will run between 4 June  and 11 July 2024 and is specifically aimed at newly-elected and early career councillors. Anyone elected in 2023 or 2024 who would like to find out more about how councils work and what influence local authorities can have in the Climate Emergency is invited to get in touch and find out whether the LCA is right for you. The Local Climate Academy will equip you with the knowledge, tools and skills to support your council to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. Once you have been accepted onto the course your place is guaranteed whether or not you are elected this year.

Apply for a space on the Local Climate Academy!

What is the Local Climate Academy?

The Local Climate Academy runs online over six weeks:

Weeks 1 & 2 look at how councils work, who really makes the decisions and how you can make the most of council processes to improve your council’s climate performance. 
Weeks 3, 4 & 5 use Climate Emergency UK’s Climate Action Scorecards to provide a framework for looking at different aspects of a council’s activity and how carbon emissions can be reduced in different areas. 
In the final week, participants create their own climate action plans to implement over the coming months. A certificate of completion will be awarded to participants at the end of the course.

Each week  includes a compulsory 90-minute online interactive session and a 60-minute online informal session.  Participants are also invited to join a WhatsApp group where ideas and support can be shared throughout the course and beyond.  We include space for networking and peer learning so councils and communities can learn from each other and invite experts to share experiences in particular areas. We explore difficulties and good practice found across different types of council in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. Our aim is to identify barriers to action and to find solutions to overcome them.

Who is the Local Climate Academy for?

This course has been specifically developed to support newly-elected and early career councillors. However, it can also be useful for local election candidates and people considering becoming councillors in the future, new council officers who want their councils to improve their climate and biodiversity action, and community campaigners who are keen to mobilise local support and advocate for further climate action from their councils.
Whether you are a councillor, campaigner or officer, please get in touch to find out more about whether the course would suit you.

How does the Local Climate Academy help?

We understand that councils can be held back from taking climate action by a lack of resources, staff not having the necessary skills and, often, a lack of political will. We recognise, too, that the lack of guidance and finance from national government is challenging. LCA courses demonstrate how it can be possible for councils to take meaningful action despite these barriers and provide information, tools and support to make this happen.

Using Climate Action Scorecards

Climate Emergency UK created the Council Climate Action Scorecards which assess every UK council on its environmental performance. The Scorecards are used in the Academy’s courses to understand current council climate action.  We focus on the seven Scorecard sections: Buildings and Heating, Transport, Planning, Biodiversity, Collaboration and Engagement, Governance and Finance and Waste Reduction and Food.

Is the Local Climate Academy for you?

The time commitment for this course is three hours a week over a six-week period. By applying for a place you are committing to attend all  six 90-minute formal sessions and to actively engage in the course, including making an action plan to follow at the end.

We are delighted to be able to fully fund this course for newly-elected councillors and community campaigners thanks to a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The course will be free for all participants who successfully complete the application process to join us in June 2024. If you are standing for election for the first time and are not elected,  you will still be eligible to take part if you have already registered.
When applying for a place on the Local Climate Academy you will be asked which  of the following options you prefer:

  • Tuesday evenings 6-7.30 pm, from 4 June to 9 July.
  • Wednesday evening 6-7.30 pm, from 5 June to 10 July.
  • Thursday lunchtimes 11:30 – 1:00 pm, from 6 June to 11 July.

Please get in touch!

If you have any questions about the Local Climate Academy or are wondering whether it might be right for you, contact Claire Stephenson, Local Climate Academy Training Lead, at claire@climateemergency.uk or give us a call on 07421 125 241.
If you would like to apply for a space on one of the Local Climate Academy courses, please do so here.