Question reference: S6W-05390
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 13 January 2022
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to understand the resources and capacity building that is needed by local authorities to deliver net zero, and what steps it is taking to meet that need, in light of reports of shortages of local authority resources.
Answer
The Scottish Government regularly engages with local authorities and the wider public sector, including through COSLA and the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN), where current opportunities and challenges within local authority climate action are frequently discussed. Scottish Government officials also engage with the Improvement Service on the capacity needs of local authorities in delivering net zero.
Since 2015-16, around 180 listed Scottish public bodies have been required to report annually on compliance with their statutory climate change duties. To assess progress on emissions reduction, the Scottish Government funds SSN to produce an annual analysis of the submitted reports. New regulations, which came into force on 9 November 2020, require Scottish public bodies from November 2022 to report, where applicable, how they will aligns spending plans and use of resources to contribute to delivering their emissions reduction targets.