In a summer breaking records for heatwaves and water shortages, you might think political administrations would be striving to enact measures mitigating the problems. But you would be wrong.
Essex was ahead of the game
In 2020 Conservative-led Essex County Council set up the Essex Climate Action Commission (ECAC), with 35 independent commissioners and a secretariat supported by the Council.
They published a comprehensive report on making the county carbon neutral in 2021. Its 100 recommendations addressed nature and green infrastructure, energy, waste, buildings, water and transport, and were unanimously approved by all political parties.
The Commission’s aims
ECAC aimed to offer options for zero-carbon living, to clearly improve people’s lives and help nature.
It has just completed its first six years of work and recently documented 64 significant impacts, improving not only people’s lives, but also nature and infrastructure.
Some successes were described here by Commission Chair Jules Pretty, including:
- 147,000 new Essex homes planned to align to Passivhaus standards, meaning warmer homes for residents and lower heating bills
- Farm clusters adopting sustainable, regenerative, environment-friendly methods
- Essex communities collaborating on joint renewable energy systems to retrofit insulation and install heat pumps
Climate issues cannot be ignored
In June 2026, a report investigated local authorities’ role delivering carbon reductions, highlighting what they can do towards the 2050 net zero target.
Also in June, Parliament passed the Seventh Carbon Budget into law, setting a legally binding target of ~87% emissions reduction in 2038-42, following Climate Change Committee (CCC) advice.
Essex has been a leader on climate
With ECAC central to its work, Essex CC was awarded an A rating by CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) last year, recognising its bold leadership on environmental action.
ECAC won praise in the Local Authorities & Seventh Carbon Budget report. For example, for the Essex Solar Together scheme, which provides lower-cost centrally procured ways to install solar PV, solar batteries and heat pumps.
Additionally, Uttlesford in Essex was praised for having 60% of new dwellings with heat pumps.
‘Make Rain Happy’
Another report praised Essex for its forward-thinking scheme ‘Make Rain Happy’, which also makes residents happy. Coastal town Canvey had always been prone to severe flooding. Now damage will be reduced using rain gardens, swale (shallow grassy drainage channels), tree planting and thousands of plants to reduce surface water flooding on residential streets.
These measures are helping mitigate climate-related disasters. And we are going to need more of that in future, not less.
A new Reform council
In the May 2026 local elections, Reform UK gained a majority on Essex County Council. New leader Peter Harris and deputy leader Russell Quirk announced at the first full council meeting that they would scrap the council’s net-zero policies, calling them “net stupid zero” and a “ridiculous endeavour”.
They published their 100-Day Plan in the first week of July, ending the commitment to net zero, saying it would initially save taxpayers around £3m (less than 0.15% of its annual budget of over £2 billion).
This includes withdrawal of all support to ECAC.
Why this matters
Braintree councillor Cllr Paul Thorogood says: “The new ECC administration may be able to withdraw its support from the ECAC, but cannot withdraw Essex from the reality of climate change. Abandoning one of the country’s leading climate commissions is a reckless political choice that will leave Essex less prepared for the floods, heatwaves and economic challenges already affecting our communities.”
Economic no-brainer
It’s not just that we need to protect people from increasing extreme weather like flash floods, rising sea levels, droughts and water shortages.
Climate action also makes economic sense. A million British livelihoods now depend on the net zero economy. “It is clear,” says Louise Hellem, CBI Chief Economist, “You can’t have growth without green … Inaction is indisputably costlier than action. Long-term sustainable growth is unattainable without a future powered by clean, affordable and secure energy.”
The World Economic Forum estimates that zero-carbon transitions will create by 2030 some US$10 trillion of value worldwide alongside 400 million new jobs.
Jobs
The sector generates £billions in value across renewable energy, building technology and low-carbon transport. Jobs include:
- wind turbine technicians, infrastructure engineers;
- heat pump installers, retrofit assessors, glaziers and insulation installers;
- electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, battery production, servicing;
- railway infrastructure;
- forestry, ecology, soil management and crop production.
The bishop of Colchester, Roger Morris, feels this is bad news for Essex and could cost millions in new investment and jobs: “This action risks signalling that Essex is stepping back from the green growth and investment agenda that many new businesses now expect from places they might choose to locate. It will shatter confidence that the county is serious about attracting low-carbon innovation, securing green jobs and building a resilient, sustainable economy”.
ECAC’s response
The Commission says it is “saddened by withdrawal of support by Reform-led administration at Essex County Council”.
But it adds: “We will not be closing. We will be keeping the door open to collaboration with communities, businesses and local authorities across Essex.”
Its priorities still include:
- homes fit for everyone in Essex – with low bills;
- champion water efficiency – safeguarding our supply;
- expand green space, invest in nature – clean green space for everyone;
- expand innovations in local energy systems – with energy security;
- end fuel poverty – the Warm Homes Plan;
- invest in new job skills – sustainable construction, retrofit, clean-tech, regenerative agriculture;
- invest in rural and active transport – including more buses;
- accelerate towards a circular economy – reduce waste.
This is real stuff that affects everyone. Who doesn’t want a warm home with lower bills, clean air and water, safe food, better public transport and a thriving natural environment for wildlife?
Essex Climate Action Commission envisions how we get there.
Follow Essex Climate Action Commission here or on Facebook.
Watch this: Improving People’s Lives And this: Living on the S-Curve: This Good Stuff Could Happen Fast
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