The UK has recently experienced a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40C for the first time in our history, with drought warnings being issued once again.
The Met Office has predicted hotter and drier summers could be likely to become more common as heat records are being broken more frequently, with all the challenges this brings to councils and the communities who we support.
Councils went above and beyond to prepare for and mitigate the impact of these temperature increases during this period. This included additional visits to those who are most vulnerable, advice on keeping cool and emergency accommodation support for rough sleepers.
Many councils activated their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), often used when temperatures dip below freezing. This enables them to access additional funding to provide extra beds to those on the streets, more outreach workers to provide cold water and sunscreen and identify those who are most in need of assistance, particularly those who are not already engaging with local homelessness services. We know it is those who are older or with heart and respiratory problems who can be at risk of significant health problems due to the heat.
Research published last month showed nearly 800 extra deaths a year in England and Wales between 2000 and 2019 were caused by excessive heat, with other health pressures experienced due to increased numbers of heat-related hospital admissions.
During July's period of heat, councils focused their efforts on helping those people they know are the most vulnerable in our communities. This included providing visits to those in assisted living accommodation, checks on people in residential care settings and additional ‘meals on wheels’ visits to ensure people were not left isolated.
In addition, some councils have been providing ‘cool spaces’ – designated public spaces where members of the public can go who otherwise might not be able to find another such area.
As we continue to experience extreme heat, this is an option more councils across the country will be exploring.
High temperatures also raise important concerns about the protection of our vital local infrastructure. A number of councils used their gritting fleet, normally seen by our residents during the depths of winter, to apply sand to road surfaces particularly at risk from damage. These are often older roads in more rural locations.
As these temperatures become more common in the summer months, councils who are already tackling a growing road repair backlog must get adequate funding and support to tackle related damage to our road network.
Many of our colleagues in the fire and rescue services declared major incidents, with wild fires damaging land and property across the country. The pressures we are seeing for these services demonstrate the importance of continuing to fund them for potential risk, rather than just day-to-day demand.
We know this will not be the last period of extreme heat we will have to protect our communities from. We must start to adapt to ensure our residents, homes and buildings, and local infrastructure can remain as resilient as possible to the threat of extreme weather.
The Government must also work with councils and others to turbo-charge efforts to bring down carbon emissions and achieve our net zero targets, limiting temperature increases in the future.
Cllr David Fothergill is the chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board
@LGAWellbeing
