Project overview

The Midlands Net Zero Hub worked with Sustainability West Midlands and CDP to assess how local authorities across the region are progressing toward their climate goals. Using CDP’s reporting platform, councils provided self‑assessed data across multiple Net Zero themes. Each participating authority received an individual report highlighting current strengths and opportunities for further action, supported by an overarching review of climate progress in the Midlands.

The study found strong performance in areas such as transport decarbonisation, large‑scale retrofit schemes, biodiversity work, solar PV deployment, and flood management. However, it also identified improvement areas including community energy support, climate adaptation planning, heat network exploration, sustainable travel promotion, nature‑based projects, and long‑term public engagement. The report additionally recommended stronger collaboration, shared learning, and improved funding support to accelerate local climate action.

What did the study look into?

This study analysed how councils across the East and West Midlands are progressing toward their climate goals, identifying strengths, gaps, and support needs across nine core sustainability themes. It reviewed detailed self‑reported data from 39 local authorities to build a regional evidence base that informs future decarbonisation support, funding needs, and policy development. It provides the first region‑wide picture of climate action maturity, highlighting both examples of leadership and areas requiring urgent improvement. In particular, it looked at:

• Purpose and methodology: Assessment of local authorities’ climate action via CDP‑ICLEI Track, covering governance, emissions, risk assessment, targets, planning, and implementation across 71 authorities invited to participate.
• Strengths across the region: Progress in delivering domestic retrofit, tree‑planting programmes, renewable energy installations, active travel schemes, EV infrastructure, business support, and flood‑management initiatives.
• Key challenges identified: Gaps in climate adaptation planning, air and water quality strategies, heat decarbonisation, community energy development, waste reduction engagement, sustainable procurement, and joined‑up approaches to fuel poverty and health.
• Detailed thematic analysis: Review of performance across adaptation, clean air/water, buildings, natural environment, power, resource efficiency, social equity, sustainable growth, and transport.
• Case studies of best practice: Examples demonstrating innovation in climate risk assessment, heat networks, retrofit delivery, natural environment investment, transport decarbonisation, and neighbourhood‑level Net Zero programmes.
• Recommendations: Tailored advice for councils and supporting bodies – including improving governance, developing climate action plans, strengthening collaboration, expanding funding access and enhancing skills, data, and community engagement.

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