Council notes:

• The Summer of 2026 is expected to have been the hottest on record for the UK, with 6 out of 7 of the hottest recorded summers all coming in the last 8 years.

• The previous winter was the wettest on record for many parts of the UK. Average winter rainfall has risen from around 290mm in the 1970s and 1980s to 380mm in the decade up to 2021.

• The Climate Change Committee states that “The UK’s preparations for climate change are inadequate”, and “Adaptation is needed now to ensure that the UK is prepared for today’s extreme weather as well as the rapidly increasing severity of future risks. The costs of these impacts are already being felt, and the risks will continue to grow even if international targets to limit global warming are met. Action is needed now whilst we still have the opportunity to address these risks in a way that is both cost-effective and timely”

• That from 30 Nov 2026, Phase 2 of Awaab’s Law will extend social landlords’ duties to significant excess heat and cold hazards.

• The TUC heat campaign calling for the urgent modernisation of Health and Safety standards, including a legal maximum working temperature of 30°C (27°C for strenuous work), above which non-essential work is paused or adapted.

• The Public and Civil Servants union has highlighted in the early Summer that "We are seeing [Whitehall] job cuts in key policy areas despite the mounting evidence that we need to do more, not less to restore nature and mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis”

Council believes:

·       There must be continued and redoubled efforts to move the council area, the country and the global community to net zero carbon emissions. Climate adaptation and emissions reduction must be pursued together, recognising that many measures such as increasing tree canopies, are appropriate for both.

·       The increasing threat to the health and livelihoods from climate change related extreme weather requires a national planned response, the key elements of which are:

• Protecting and improving our water supply, which now clearly requires taking the industry back into public ownership together with significant investment.

• Protecting and improving the ability of land to manage flooding and fire risks by investing in and enforcing natural flood and fire risk land management.

• Protecting and improving the ability of our buildings, infrastructure and transport systems to manage the risks from flooding and prolonged extreme heat through planning and building control regulation, including natural temperature control measures such as increased tree canopy cover and external shading to reduce the need for energy intensive cooling.

• Protecting and enhancing our food security through regulations and investment in sustainable agriculture, diversifying to increase horticulture and reduce land-intensive cattle and sheep production.

• Recognising that the damaging effects of climate change unequally distributed and so adaptation measures must address these inequalities.

• The UK government must set the pace, the regulations and provide the investment for a national adaptation strategy. An initial step would be to establish a unit in Downing Street and new Cabinet Minister to coordinate and drive forward progress on adaptation and resilience 

NOTE: Adrian Ramsay is specifically calling for this in the Autumn

• The current version of the devolution agenda is putting the rapid development of adaptation and resilience measures at risk. Strategic Authorities are being established with a ‘growth first’ agenda, whilst cuts to both DEFRA and DESNZ have reduced Whitehall capacity to deliver the support local government needs to lead on place-based adaptation and resilience

Council resolves:

To ask the leader to write to our MP(s) and to relevant ministers putting our council's position as outlined above and calling on government to:

• Provide adequate funding and capacity support for locally delivered adaptation and resilience measures as part of a national plan, including in particular, a fully funded heat-resilience programme for schools, hospitals, care settings and social housing.

• Recognise the role of both strategic and local authorities as much place-based adaptation and resilience work will continue to be best delivered through local authorities rather than by strategic authority mayors.

• Underpin action on both climate change mitigation and adaptation with an appropriately resourced statutory duty as supported by the Local Government Association.?

• To publicly support the TUC campaign to see the law changed, so that employers and workers know when action must be taken to keep workers cooler and safer.

Council further resolves:

• To ask the council leader to identify the Cabinet role with responsibility for leading on climate change adaptation and resilience.

• To ask Cabinet to ensure that climate adaptation and resilience risks are incorporated into the Council’s corporate risk-management arrangements, with identified senior officer responsibility.

• To ask Cabinet to report on how extreme heat is being addressed in the Council’s adaptation and resilience work to a future full council before Summer 2027.

• To ensure that the preparation of the new Local Plan is informed by evidence of current and future climate risks, and that appropriate policies address overheating, flood risk, water scarcity and drought, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable drainage and urban tree canopy.

• To invite the relevant portfolio holder to set out the Council’s developing approach to assessing and managing excess heat and excess cold in the STAR Housing stock, having regard to its statutory responsibilities under Awaab’s Law.

• To continue, through existing communications and partnerships, to promote appropriate practical advice before and during periods of extreme heat and other weather extremes.

• To request the relevant scrutiny committee to consider the establishment of a Task and Finish group to both identify practical measures the Council can undertake to reduce the impact of extreme heat on our residents in the short-term and to consider evidence?and planning from partners such as fire and rescue, the ICB and the education sector on climate related impacts and needs, in order to bring forward further recommendation.

• To ensure safe working practices for council workers and contractors, which may, for example, include agreeing exceptional conditions protocols and appropriate maximum working temperatures in consultation with staff trade unions.