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A comprehensive plan for Yorkshire and the Humber to respond to the climate and nature crises has received unanimous support from leaders of the region’s 15 local authorities and mayors of combined authorities. 

The report was published by Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission – a key partner of Y-PERN – and provides a “strategic framework for action” according to Yorkshire Leaders Board Co-Chair Cllr Carl Les (North Yorkshire Council).

He added: “We know we need to go further and faster in responding to the challenges ahead. We also know that we will only achieve the change required at the pace and scale that is needed by working together across political, social, and economic boundaries, involving organisations from different sectors, and finding ways to effectively collaborate.” 

The Climate Action Plan presents a holistic perspective, highlighting how whole society, whole place actions can enable us to rapidly reduce emissions, become adaptive to climate impacts whilst protecting and restoring nature, and ensuring climate action is fair and involves communities. 

By the region, for the region

“Our updated Climate Action Plan is the culmination of a huge volume of work that we have undertaken during our first few years. It has very much been designed by the region, for the region,” said Rosa Foster, Director of Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission. 

“We have aimed to be transparent through all our work, hearing from 96 experts from a wide range of backgrounds and sectors to explore a programme of 22 topics ranging from skills to nature’s recovery, from emergency planning to transport. We have shared the recordings of these technical briefings online and summarised the findings into a series of draft reports which we’ve shared for comment on our public engagement platform. 

“This updated Climate Action Plan is a synthesis of those sessions and the wider work that the Commission has facilitated and enabled during its first three years.” 

The plan combines knowledge and feedback from: 

• 194 Commissioners and Commission members 
• 96 experts from academia, businesses, organisations and groups (equivalent to more than 1,000 hours of expert input) 
• nearly 1,500 contributions by Yorkshire and the Humber citizens via surveys 
• 15 Commission meetings 
• 24 public events. 

Evidence of impact

The Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission produced its first Climate Action Plan in November 2021 and has already proved its worth as a unifying framework of action across the region. Examples of its use include: 

• mobilising action in the social housing sector 
• securing funding for multiple projects (revenue and capital) including the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership 
• organisations and local authorities using the plan to inform and shape their own strategies and plans 
• informing the strategic thinking of Local Resilience Forums 
• creating a platform for Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission to build momentum and collaborations, including the Planning Policy Principles with all local authorities. 

The updated plan builds on the successes and ambition of the original and represents a considerable evolution in breadth and approach. Nature and a just transition are given equal coverage alongside rapid emissions reduction and climate adaptation – making the plan truly unique. Each of the seven objectives has a clear articulation of the challenge and opportunity, how we will know that we are succeeding (what good change looks like) and the actions that will get us on the right path.  

The highly illustrated 96-page report is accessible and relatable, with 60 actions for businesses, public sector organisations, third sector (charities and community interest companies), communities, volunteer groups and individuals. It also uses case studies from across Yorkshire and the Humber to provide inspiring examples of positive action that’s already happening across the region.  

‘Huge opportunities’

Like the Commission’s other recent report, Our Carbon Story, the plan tells a positive story about how Yorkshire and the Humber can achieve these ambitions, including reaching net zero by 2038 (the regional target) and generating billions in co-benefits for people, nature, and the economy, a message that resonates with the Yorkshire Leaders Board. 

“There are huge opportunities for our region in this transition,” said Yorkshire Leaders Board Co-Chair Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe (Bradford Council) in a statement of support for the action plan. “We can address the climate crisis in ways that create new jobs and economic opportunities and improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. We can become climate ready and create places in which everyone can thrive across our great region.” 

For the Commission, Rosa Foster said: “A top-down, one-size-fits-all approach won’t solve the challenges unique to different parts of the UK, particularly in such a large and varied region as Yorkshire and the Humber.  We have a clear plan for our region, and we are doing what we can with what we have got. Whilst we will continue to do this, we will only get so far without the support of national government to help our institutions to go further, faster.  

“We are grateful that the University of Leeds is one of the major regional anchor institutions already showing the way, by committing to supporting our team to 2030 as part of the Net Zero City element of its own Climate Plan.” 

Mayoral approval

The Commission’s update report has already been embraced by the region’s mayors, who cite the value it adds to their own climate ambitions. 

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Here in West Yorkshire, we’re investing now for the long-term, helping households reduce their energy bills and upskilling people for the green jobs of the future. 

“But to achieve our ambition of net zero by 2038, we need to work across regional boundaries and harness the power of renewables, putting the North of England at the heart of an industrial revolution once again. 

“So I welcome this new Yorkshire-wide Climate Action Plan, and I pledge to do all I can in partnership with other Northern leaders to decarbonise our economy and lead the UK into a just and green transition.” 

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “York and North Yorkshire is in a prime position to support national and global efforts to combat climate change, even going beyond net zero and becoming England’s first carbon negative region. Our work, which will see a refreshed Routemap to Carbon Negative developed over the next year, sits well alongside this new Climate Action Plan for Yorkshire. Working together, we can create a greener economy for the benefit of all our communities.” 

Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said: “The way our climate is changing is not just a challenge but an opportunity. We can make South Yorkshire cleaner, greener, wealthier and healthier. But, we can only achieve that change by working together. 

 “South Yorkshire is already home to the largest clean tech cluster in the UK and we are speaking to our communities about how we develop our Local Nature Recovery Strategy together. 

 “But I know we need to go further and faster with that urgent work. That’s why I am pleased to welcome this new Yorkshire-wide Climate Action plan and throw the support of South Yorkshire behind it.” 

A living plan

The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan is also being sent to all 58 of the region’s MPs and the Commission hopes it will encourage them to use it as a resource in their own constituencies, as well as informing their work. 

The plan was presented at a meeting of the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission in Leeds on 18 September. Liz Barber, the outgoing Chair of the Commission, said: “Three years on from the start of Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and we have learnt a tremendous amount. We know we need to do more, and quickly. This is a living plan that will help you to do just that.”  

We’ve made a video for the plan – watch it here.

Download the Climate Action Plan below.

Universities across the UK should embed a ‘truly civic’ approach that equips all students as lifelong active citizens through formal learning, campus activities, and community engagement, according to a new report jointly produced by the Civic University Network and the UPP Foundation.

The report, Enhancing the Student Civic Experience, argues that universities have a fundamental responsibility to promote robust civic and democratic education regardless of a student’s field of study.

Report author Dr Andy Mycock, Chief Policy Fellow, Y-PERN Chief Policy Fellow comments: “As we prepare for a new UK government, the launch of the Enhancing the Student Civic Experience report offers a much-needed new lens to understand the social value of higher education, providing an opportunity to reflect on the value and contributions of students in developing innovative and impactful forms of civic engagement and knowledge exchange.”

Key recommendations for civic engagement

Based on input from two national workshops involving representatives from across higher education and leading civil society and student organisations, the report outlines four key recommendations:

• Supporting Democratic Participation through practices like compulsory voter registration, on-campus polling, and legislative ‘surgeries’.
• Acknowledging the student civic experience in metrics like the Teaching Excellence Framework and National Student Survey.
• Refreshing Civic University Agreements to formally recognise the importance and value of the student civic experience to ‘truly civic’ universities.
• Creating a ‘What Works’ civic learning resource hub and funding further research.

The report also recommends universities and Students’ Unions should undertake an annual ‘Student Civic Health Check’ to assess levels of civic engagement and participation in systems of representation, student elections, and local democratic and volunteering networks.

Innovative approaches from Yorkshire and Humber

Many of the case studies which informed the report came from university partners in the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network who provided examples of innovative approaches to student civic engagement.

“They highlight the potential for all students to learn about and participate in evidence-based policymaking during their time at university, both as part of their formal studies and through extracurricular activities,” says Dr Mycock.

Partners across Y-PERN are exploring how policy engagement can form part of the broader student civic experience. For example, colleagues at the University of Hull are developing a module on Policy Impact which focuses on local and regional policy and community engagement for post-graduate students. Y-PERN has also hosted an early-career workshop on regional policy engagement in West Yorkshire, involving postgraduate students from across the region. 

Improving town-gown relations

Richard Brabner, Executive Chair of the UPP Foundation said: “Student participation in their local communities through volunteering, extra-curricular activities and work experience as part of their degree is incredibly valuable. It helps town-gown relations and supports student employability. This report offers a plan for what an effective student civic service programme could look like and we call on the next government and higher education sector to embrace its findings.”

Professor Chris Wiggington is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global and Academic Partnerships at Sheffield Hallam University which leads the Civic University Network. He said: “Our degrees and apprenticeships must enable students to develop true civic identities. This means providing sustained opportunities for civic learning, participation in governance, and connections to local communities.  Higher education holds incredible potential to support students to become engaged and active citizens. There is a need to promote universities as civic and democratic communities of participation to prepare them for a lifelong commitment as active citizens.”

Sophie Duncan and Paul Manners, Co-Directors, NCCPE said: “We warmly welcome this report. The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement always been interested in how to maximise the potential of student involvement in universities’ public, community and civic engagement. The report lays out a clear set of recommendations and challenges – and we are committed to working with the sector to tackle these, in particular to help build a stronger community of people committed to this agenda and to developing the evidence base about what works, including how civic engagement can animate student learning.”