A Green New Deal from the City Up

Abstract: The Green New Deal (GND) is an idea that has mobilised civil society in the United Kingdom (UK), leading to calls for a publicly led transformation of society away from fossil fuels. Despite the widespread support for a GND in the UK, government action at the national level remains stagnant. The recent burst of energy in local climate politics, with over 75% of local authorities in the UK declaring climate emergencies suggests that the enthusiasm around a GND could lead to policy implementation at this level of government. However, councils in the UK have experienced years of budgetary cuts and restraints. This has limited their institutional capacity to act. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the current institutional capacity of local authorities through a case study of Brighton and Hove. This is an apt case because the council has a high level of climate ambition. Therefore, the lessons learnt from it will apply to other councils as they progress with their climate action. I conducted interviews with council members and employees and experts, as well as observing meeting and document review to deduce the institutional capacity of Brighton and Hove council. I established that institutional capacity exists in Brighton and Hove that can and is being directed towards the goals of a GND. This is despite the varied interpretation and commitment to GND framing in the city. However, I found that institutional capacity in Brighton and Hove and other local authorities in the UK is shaped to a large degree by the constraints on funding and power put in place by the central government, illuminating some useful changes that could be made to national policy. Despite these constraints, local councils can pursue the goals of a GND without changes to national policy and legislation.