The study, by consultants APSE, highlights policy and funding barriers standing in their way.  It’s a perfect example of how ideology can run counter to the needs of a green economy. Government may know that action is needed.  But they are also so uncomfortable about the public sector playing a role that they appear to be content for important opportunities to fall by the wayside.

The report shows that councils across the UK recognise the potential for sustainable energy projects to reduce their energy costs, and believe the public in their area would support emphasis on sustainability as a source of jobs growth.  But it also shows councils’ frustration at the lack of a framework for co—ordination between environmental and economic policies at national and local level.

Feed in Tariffs and domestic energy efficiency programmes are identified as two areas where Government policy at national level can fire up economic activity and create jobs at local level, whilst also delivering on environmental goals.  The report shows how councils such as those in Wrexham and Nottingham are using such opportunities as do still exist effectively.  Now, however, we have at best confusion at worst complacency from the Government.

The Feed in Tariff, which paid councils a premium rate for community scale renewable projects, has been scaled back.  This is damaging the business model that early schemes had relied upon.  And those who are designing the Green Deal scheme, for making homes more energy efficient, should recognise the track record and huge potential of local authorities in making our homes zero carbon.

Calling for joined up Government sounds a bit of a tired old cliché.  But, on a day when youth unemployment edges up towards the one million mark – and the week after the Tories said at their conference they were abandoning the aspiration to lead on climate change in Europe, the phrase has never seemed more poignant,  and the sense that our Government has lost touch with the national interest so apparent.

The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) has members from 250 councils providing front-line services across the UK.

As a first timer at such a gathering two things strike me as particularly interesting.  First, the brilliant job that the international trade union movement have done in keeping the principles of just transition and decent work on the agenda.  As regular readers of Philip’s blogs will know, the basic principle behind these related concepts is that moving to a low carbon economy needs a commitment from signatories to the climate agreement to creating green and decent jobs, training workers for green jobs, social dialogue and social protection.   The ITUC did succeed in ensuring that this was in the draft agreement for the talks in Copenhagen, but like so much else at those talks, it did not make it through to the short and inadequate Copenhagen Accord.  So, the big thing for me since arriving has been seeing these concepts back in the text, and hearing government delegations from USA, G77, China and Japan all embrace them in an open session.  Is this momentum? Let’s hope so.

The second thing was to hear the presentations from the European Commission and a variety of European countries on the work they are doing under the fast start funding agreed at Copenhagen.  Given the minor role played by the EU at Copenhagen there was a sense, to me at least, that this might have been, at least a little, in making amends for timidity last time.