Local Government Association reveals report showing a million new green jobs could be created by 2050

NEARLY 700,000 direct jobs could be created in England's low carbon and renewable energy economy by 2030, rising to more than 1.18 million by 2050, the Local Government Association has revealed in a new report. The LGA is urging the Government to work with Councils to develop post COVID-19 economic recovery options, including proposals for a jobs guarantee programme which can provide new opportunities, within the low carbon sector. It is calling for national skills and employment schemes and funding to be devolved to Councils and Combined Authorities so they can work with businesses and education providers to train and retrain young people and older workers so they can benefit from these new local opportunities.

Its new commissioned report:- "Local green jobs; accelerating a sustainable economic recovery." shows that demand for green jobs will rapidly increase as the nation transitions to a net zero economy and will help to counter the unprecedented job losses due to Coronavirus which are likely to increase further when furlough ends from October 2020.

This new green jobs bonanza; across every Region in England; will help the national economic recovery following the pandemic. The report predicts that:-

► 46% of an estimated 693,628 total low carbon jobs by 2030 will be in clean electricity generation and providing low carbon heat for homes and businesses, such as manufacturing wind turbines, installing solar panels and installing heat pumps.

► 21% of jobs by 2030 will be involved in installing energy efficiency products, such as:- insulation, lighting and control systems, while a further 19% will be based on providing low carbon services (financial, legal and IT) and producing alternative fuels, such as bioenergy and hydrogen.

► A further 14% of jobs will be directly involved in manufacturing low emission vehicles and the associated infrastructure.

► Between 2030 and 2050, the low carbon workforce in England could increase by a further 488,569, taking the total level of jobs to more than 1.18 million by 2050.

The LGA said the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are likely to be felt in our communities for some time to come. Councils have long warned that centrally driven employment and skills support is often failing to meet, and respond to, local need. It is therefore vital that Councils have the tools they need to ensure that all our diverse communities have the best possible chance of contributing to and benefiting from economic recovery. This includes local control over skills and employment support and increased national investment to create jobs and help young people and adults secure them. During the pandemic, Councils' role as leaders of place has been emphasised as never before, for example by leading local efforts to trace the virus and providing billions in financial support to businesses.

The LGA says Councils have been trusted to deliver and this local approach should be extended to skills training to help project where and when these jobs will be created and build the skills of local workforces. The LGA's Work Local proposals; which would see Councils and combined authorities working with partners to integrate and devolve employment, apprenticeships and skills initiatives so it is easier for all residents and employers to navigate; provide a sure fire way of achieving this. Soaring demand for green jobs will require a diverse range of skills and expertise to roll out clean technologies. Emerging skills gaps requiring early intervention are the heat pump supply chain and professional services. Local areas need to be able match skills supply and demand through effective local targeting by giving Councils and combined authorities the ability to work with local education providers and businesses to bridge gaps in NVQ-related skills so that the workforce is equipped to meet emerging demand. The LGA is urging Government to improve uncoordinated and limited funding streams by engaging with Councils to understand how new funding for skills can be devolved to better meet and respond to local need, to support the creation of new jobs and develop a pipeline of skills at a local level.

Cllr Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the LGA's City Regions Board, said:- "Councils are driving the climate change agenda at a local level, through ambitious projects and targets, which is beginning to influence local economic growth plans and skills programmes. Demand for green jobs is due to sky rocket as we move towards a net zero economy and local Government, with its local knowledge and expertise, is best placed to ensure the workforce in every Region of the country can successfully surf the new wave of employment opportunities. Localising and devolving skills investment, back to work support and any job guarantee will be critical to ensuring everyone benefits from new local jobs, including these one million new low carbon jobs. To help meet national climate change targets and capitalise on the green jobs revolution, Councils need to be given long term funding, devolved powers and easier access to complex Government funding pots to help realise the Government's target of being carbon neutral by 2050."

1 of Liverpool's most fashionable areas has been given a great green makeover

WANDER through the heart of the Ropewalks district and you'll be hit with 132 square metres of fronds, foliage and flora across the front of the Parr Street Car Park. A total of more than 12,000 plants and flowers adorn the brand new installation, including:- daffodils, lavender and even wild strawberries for passers by to pick when they start to fruit. This Living Green Wall is part of an innovative project to encourage wildlife back into the City Centre, help clean the air and give everyone something wonderful to look at. The project is a partnership between Liverpool City Council, The Mersey Forest and Liverpool University and is funded through the EU Horizon 2020 project Urban Green UP. Over the next 2 years, a team from the university will monitor the performance and impact of the wall. They will be looking at how the pollinator plants could encourage more insects to the area to create a mini eco system and how the wall may function as an:- 'environmental stepping stone' to other nearby green areas. The team will also be looking at how the wall generates a:- 'feel good' factor in the local area and any social economic impact it has once the City re-opens and visitors return. The Parr Street Living Wall is the second such feature to spring up in the City in recent weeks with St John's Shopping Centre also boasting its very own green wall. Both walls are part of the wider ₤3.5m European funded Urban GreenUP project that seeks to tackle environmental issues through natural solutions. Other green features soon to come online in the City include:- spectacular planted floating islands full of plants at Sefton Park and Wapping Dock.

Dr Juliet Staples, who is the Senior Project Manager for the Urban Green UP Project, said:- "The aim of the wall is to enhance biodiversity in the area by encouraging more pollinating insects and establishing a food chain. In an area like this, it would be impossible to do anything on the same scale if it were on the ground so we're hoping the living wall will have a significant impact and bring nature back into the City. As well as all the other elements, we will also be using thermal imaging cameras to monitor how the wall may act as a natural form of insulation and cooling. This wall is providing a range of functions for us and the project will monitor the effectiveness of those functions with a view to replicating them in other parts of the City."

Andreas Anastasiou, of building owner The Iliad Group, said:- "We're delighted to be part of this project and hope that this will encourage further provisions for innovative green projects in urban areas."

Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, who is Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment and Sustainability, said:- "This is a really exciting scheme which looks at the different ways in which we can green our City. It's part of an international project and involves academic research as well, so we are very fortunate to have it in Liverpool. It looks at how we can maximise the use of plants to make an urban environment as green as we possible. Residents of the City can join us in this project by doing their own planting. If you have a flat with a balcony or a house with even a small backyard get planting. The more pollinator plants we can grow together, the better it will be for our City."