Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the report commissioned by the EU Committee of the Regions on Policy instruments for adaptation to climate change in big European cities and metropolitan areas.

Dan Rogerson

I have been asked to reply.

We have noted the report’s recommendations and recognise the complex challenges cities face from climate change.

Defra published the first National Adaptation Programme (NAP) report last July. This sets out a wide range of actions to developthe UK’s resilience to climate change and associated severe weather events. In developing this report, the Government worked with the Core Cities Group (comprising the largest eight cities in England), London Councils and the Greater London Authority to agree the NAP Cities Commitment. We continue to work closely with these cities to support this commitment to action, including through a recent inward secondment to Defra from Newcastle City Council.

The Mayors Adapt initiative recently launched by the European Commission under the EU Adaptation Strategy also provides a vehicle through which cities across Europe can network and share their experiences on adaptation.