If local councils are to capitalise on the zeitgeist of the climate emergency then they need some serious money and new powers – and time is of the essence, argues Paul O'Brien

I t is inarguable that the last decade in local government was tough financially. Every public policy initiative, every council budget was seemingly dominated by relentless austerity. That has not gone away. However, with climate emergency declarations by local councils now standing at 65% coverage across the UK it would appear that this, not austerity, is our zeitgeist for the next decade.