Climate change adaptation: practical examples for local authorities

Purpose of the report

This document provides a suite of case studies that demonstrate practical action that local authorities have taken across England that focus, at least in part, on delivering climate change adaptation outcomes.

It has been produced by Sustainability West Midlands in collaboration with the Environment Agency, and builds on an event that we ran in November 2022 for local authorities, promoting some of the case studies showcased in this document.

Local authorities in England are at the forefront of the the nation and region’s response on climate change adaptation, given their influence on local communities, and we hope that the third National Adaptation Programme to be published by Government in 2023 will set out what their role should be and provide help, guidance and resource to enable them to take action. At present, however, while there is a strong recognition from councils that they need to adapt their services and communities to climate change risks, progress is very slow due to an absence of the necessary legislation and support.

In response to this, they have produced this document to provide a summary of a selection of case studies that have been led by local authorities from across England, demonstrating what is possible when it comes to adapting to climate change. For each one, where information is available, we have provided:

A summary of the project and what it has delivered by way of climate change adaptation outcomes.

What other areas of sustainability the project has also considered; we favour projects that provide multiple outcomes (e.g. for the Net Zero agenda and enhancing nature), as well as adaptation.

Partners the council has worked with, funding accessed and any perceived successes and challenges.

Download the full report here.