Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NAO Report on Local Government and Net Zero: Government Response

Thursday 22 July 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • NAO report on local government and net zero in England was published on July 7, 2021
  • Government response to the NAO report was questioned by Philip Hollobone on July 22, 2021
  • Report highlights the need for clear roles and responsibilities and proper funding for local authorities in net zero initiatives

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philip Hollobone Con
Climate Local Government Environment
Context

The National Audit Office published a report in July 2021 examining the collaboration between central Government and local authorities in England on achieving net zero emissions.

Question

What is the planned timescale for a response by the Government to the National Audit Office's report on local government and net zero in England, published in July 7, 2021?

Answer from Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)

The National Audit Office produced an important report recently considering how effectively central Government and local authorities in England are collaborating on net zero. The report emphasised the need for clear roles and responsibilities and for ensuring that local authorities have the right resources and skills to tackle net zero. My hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Philip Dunne), the Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, will be taking evidence on this National Audit Office report on Wednesday 8 September.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific timescale for a response to the National Audit Office's report was not provided.

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Q2 Philip Hollobone Con
Climate Local Government
Context

The National Audit Office report highlighted serious weaknesses in the Government's approach to working with over 350 local councils on decarbonisation due to lack of clarity, piecemeal funding, and diffuse accountabilities.

Question

The National Audit Office report concludes that there are serious weaknesses in the Government's approach to working with over 350 local councils in England on decarbonisation owing to a lack of clarity on the council's overall roles, piecemeal funding and defuse accountabilities. Will my hon. Friend encourage the Public Accounts Committee to also scrutinise the Government's response to this important report when it is eventually published?

Answer from Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)

As my hon. Friend will know, the Public Accounts Committee approves the NAO's strategy and budgets and does not involve itself in individual reports, but he will also know that the National Audit Office report recommends that central Government carry out an analysis of the net zero funding available to local authorities, despite the budget available going from £74 million in 2019-20 to £1.2 billion in 2020-21.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific encouragement for the Public Accounts Committee to scrutinise the Government's response was not provided.

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