Councillors are rooted in their communities and work with residents to improve their local environment –  from clean streets, safe parks, green spaces and safe roads.

Labour councils have been at the forefront of delivering innovative and pioneering work to reduce emissions and protect and enhance our environment, from school street schemes, repair cafés and pollinator pathways to re-wilding. Across the country, we are delivering climate and environment policies that are transforming places and improving people’s lives. 

But this work isn’t always easy, with political and practical challenges as well as significant pressures on council budgets. 

As cabinet member for the environment in Redbridge, I have benefitted greatly from working with other Labour cabinet members across London through London Councils. Networks like this, the Local Government Association and UK 100 help us share experience of navigating similar challenges, and are sources of inspiration and moral support. 

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Up until now there hasn’t been a group specifically for Labour councillors on the environment. That is why we’ve set up the new Labour Councillors Environment Network (LCEN) hosted by SERA (Labour’s environment affiliate). It is open to any Labour councillor interested in the environment – whether in an executive cabinet role, committee, backbench or opposition role.

It is intended to support Labour councillors in advocating for and delivering progressive environmental policies, providing a forum for sharing best practice and mutual support and championing emerging leaders. 

Given the challenges facing our climate and environment, as well as our party’s electoral threats, this network is more important than ever.

The repeated droughts this summer have shown that the impacts of climate change are real and already impacting our communities, with councils often called on to help. We need to go even further in reducing emissions whilst also ensuring we’re prepared for the extremes of climate change. 

The most recent local elections showed that Labour and our environment agenda are also under pressure electorally – from Reform, the Greens and Independents. We lost many excellent Labour councillors and Labour councils across the country who had spent years delivering tangible benefits to their communities through their policies to improve the environment and reduce emissions.

The rise of Reform in local government poses an existential threat for climate and the environment – as they back fracking and decimate climate programmes. Our Labour councillors in these areas need our support to oppose environmentally destructive policies and rebuild a vote-winning progressive environmental agenda. 

We also can’t allow the Greens to claim credit for the legacy of progressive policies they’ve been left by Labour Councils that they’ve replaced in areas like Lambeth, Hackney, Haringey and Waltham Forest. We need to call out the hypocrisy of the Greens locally when they oppose developments for affordable housing, bike storage and cycle lanes. Councils need more than good vibes, slogans and TikTok videos to navigate complex environmental questions and unite their communities. 

Independent councillors are also undermining years of hard-won progress – pulling out highway schemes in places like Tower Hamlets that make our roads safer and reduce pollution. They’re unashamedly standing on regressive manifestos to put motorists first despite recent research showing how London’s children’s lungs have made a dramatic recovery in lung growth and recovery thanks to ULEZ. Labour policies like these have benefited the most deprived communities and should be fiercely protected.

At this critical moment for the climate and nature, as well as for the Labour Party electorally, we hope this new network will support our councillors to deliver a vote winning progressive environmental agenda. The network will also advocate for the Labour Government to deliver environmental and climate policies with places and people at their heart.

If you’re a Labour councillor sign up for the network . 

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