The research conducted for this report focuses on some of the key areas that councils have significant influence over to reduce carbon emissions, such as housing, transport, and renewable energy projects. It provides the strategic and economic case for why and how councils can unlock economic, social, and environmental value through the delivery of different low-carbon infrastructure projects. It also looks at the co-benefits that councils can bring in health, job creation, and reducing carbon emissions.

This report sets out a business case for why councils are best-placed to locally deliver projects in three categories of low-carbon infrastructure:

• Buildings: The existing and future stock of residential, commercial and public buildings that account for a large proportion of the UK’s carbon emissions.
• Transport: The physical infrastructure that will enable a change in the transport we use and how we use it.
• Energy: The many new and emerging methods of generating cleaner energy and reducing energy consumption.

A key point is that while councils can significantly influence the delivery of these types of infrastructure, they will need the right support and partnerships with central government and the private sector.

Central Government has a range of policies – targets, funding pots, and regulatory change – to support the local delivery of low-carbon infrastructure in each of the above categories. Moreover, national government can support and enable local government to make the low-carbon transition, with local energy strategies, local energy hubs, and the national bus strategy all being referenced in this regard during the report's research interviews.

Private businesses will also have a role, be it in decarbonising the buildings they occupy and their production processes, developing low-carbon supply chains through their purchasing, nudging and encouraging employees and customers to make low-carbon decisions, as well as innovating in low-carbon goods and services. The private sector will be important for providing the funding for low-carbon infrastructure at a local level, with investors being a source of long-term capital that can complement public funds.