Developing tools to help smaller local authorities improve governance and decision-making in a Climate Emergency

Gudde, Peter (2025) Developing tools to help smaller local authorities improve governance and decision-making in a Climate Emergency. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Over 85% of local authorities in the United Kingdom have declared a Climate Emergency. However, the role of councils remains poorly defined by central government with no single, robust governance framework linking national and local ambition. This has led to councils struggling to formulate governance and delivery, which the National Audit Office (2021) and others consider is not fit for purpose.

The research presented in this thesis explores the barriers to governance and decision-making arrangements using evidence drawn from the literature and insights of practitioners. It highlights shortcomings which bind public administration. Where local governance structures are emerging, the research reveals a lack of coherence and scale needed. Smaller councils are getting left behind by their metropolitan, mayoral counterparts. This creates a growing credibility and performance gap.

The thesis sets out an overarching governance framework for local net zero delivery, along with a supporting toolkit to improve current arrangements. The governance framework adds depth beyond the research literature identified in the research which tends to recommend generic solutions less relevant to smaller councils outside metropolitan areas. A diagnostic barriers and solutions identification tool is presented utilising a modified Delphi approach. A suite of governance models is proposed based on governance theory and real-world examples. Using these models, a tool is put forward to assess the strengths and weaknesses of local net zero governance arrangements. Initial testing, including with local authorities typifying non-metropolitan public administrations, suggests that the tools can be applied effectively with minimal resource.

The framework and toolkit recognise that every area is different. However, the principles and values that make for good governance and decision-making are the same, with the toolkit demonstrating that solutions exist within and beyond the domain of public administration, helping councils learn from others. Recommendations are made to improve and validate the toolkit.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2025 11:23
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2025 11:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100885
DOI:

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