How local councils are acting on climate

These council case studies explore the impacts, benefits and resources needed to tackle climate change locally. Share with your local authority to galvanise change, from reducing landfill waste to protecting nature.

While Friends of the Earth supports these specific projects, this doesn't always extend to the councils' wider environmental policies.

Nature

A person's hand holding their phone, showing a social media post that says "Everyone deserves a warm home and a healthy planet"
Planet Over Profit local day of action social media templates

02 Jun 2026

Use these template social media posts to get the word out about the Planet Over Profit local day of action.

Take action
Campaigners stand outside a building holding placards and wearing yellow washing up gloves, while bubbles float in the air. The placards read: "People and planet over power and profit" and "Clean up your dirty palm oil dealings"
Friends of the Earth and UNISON Working together for people and planet

15 Jun 2026

Find out how Friends of the Earth and UNISON have been working together for a new Business, Human Rights & Environment Act as part of the Planet Over Profit campaign.

Someone using a laptop computer and checking their phone
Letter: Write to your MP in support of Planet Over Profit

28 Apr 2026

Email your MP to show support for a new Business, Human Rights & Environment Act.

People paddling with sewage and foam on the shoreline
Fixing the water crisis

24 Aug 2026

We should all be able to swim, paddle or walk alongside clean rivers that are home to fish, otters and kingfishers. But in many places across the UK, that’s far from the reality.  Let's make 2026 the year that polluters finally clean up their acts.

Resources
Illustration of people walking outside around trees.
How Hackney is connecting more people to local green space

20 Sep 2024

Hackney Council has adopted several measures to ensure quality green spaces are accessible to everyone in the borough. Protecting existing local green spaces and developing new, good-quality green spaces in areas which fall short of recommended minimum levels form Actions 46 and 48 of the 50-point Climate Action Plan for Councils.

Climate Action
A bench under a tree sits in front of a view across woods and farmland.
How Kent is protecting nature through long-term planning

20 Sep 2024

Learn how Kent County Council is using long-term planning to protect and recover threatened species through habitat maintenance, restoration and creation. Producing a nature and ecosystem restoration plan to restore habitats, species, and ecosystem quality and function is Action 49 of the 50-point Climate Action Plan for Councils.

Climate Action
Resources
Sunny view of river with Burnley in background
How Burnley manages parks to bring environmental and financial benefits

20 Sep 2024

Creating a more natural environment in local parks boosts biodiversity and community wellbeing, and delivers financial savings too. Learn how Burnley Borough Council helped give nature a helping hand while saving vital funds, as part of Action 47 of 50 climate actions for councils.

Climate Action
Resources
People planting grassland with trees.
How Wirral's tree strategy will plant 210,000 trees by 2030

20 Sep 2024

Learn how Wirral Council is protecting existing trees, and planting 210,000 trees by 2030 to help store carbon, support nature, aid flood protection and deliver mental health benefits. This tree strategy falls under Action 45 of the 50-point Climate Action Plan for Councils – to double tree cover on council-owned land, update local planning strategies to double tree cover across the local authority area, and ensure existing trees are properly protected.

Climate Action
Resources

These case studies were produced by Ashden and Friends of the Earth, with support from ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport), Climate Emergency UK, Grantham Institute (Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London), London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet), and My Society.