An impact case study based on the policy programme’s Locally Determined Contributions project, which began in February 2024, and the associated work of Dr Karen Barrass, Senior Policy Researcher at the Centre for Climate Engagement.
Overview
The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) has developed a toolkit to make it easier for local authorities to deliver on their climate ambitions and embed them in national targets. In a project led by Cambridgeshire County Council and funded by Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme, the framework for Locally Determined Contributions (LDCs) has gained national and international recognition for its potential to reshape place-based climate delivery.
The Challenge
The disconnect between national action and local delivery, and a lack of standardised approach presents a real challenge for local authorities (LAs) to attract investment necessary to deliver transformational change. This gap hampers progress on local decarbonisation, limits private investment confidence, and ultimately makes the UK’s legally binding target more difficult to achieve.
Our Approach
CCE partnered with the following organisations to create the framework: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, and Collaborate CIC.
Beginning in February 2024, the team researched and developed a governance framework designed to help local authorities effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions while aligning with national climate change objectives and accounting and reporting protocols. The project, known as Locally Determined Contributions (LDC), built upon the findings of the Skidmore Review of the UK’s net zero strategy, which emphasised the critical role of local government leadership and place-based action in addressing the climate crisis. It was developed through regular meetings with climate officers, and eight interactive workshops. These included four workshops with community, industry experts, research and investment stakeholders to define the parameters and scope of the work in mid 2024. Four subsequent workshops in 2025 tested the framework’s design and usability, identifying opportunities for wider adoption across the UK.
Designed for councils of all sizes, capacities and experience, the toolkit combines technical expertise from the Centre for Climate Engagement with practical insights from climate officers, ensuring it is robust and deliverable by all. Over 200 stakeholders from government, business, and the third sector contributed to the project, fostering lasting collaborations and creating a practical and scalable model for place-based climate action.
Impact
Quantitative Impact
- Stakeholders engaged: Multiple councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; industry experts; national stakeholders including HM Treasury.
- Workshops delivered: Eight workshops in total: four workshops with community, industry experts, research and investment stakeholders to define the parameters and scope of the work in 2024, and four workshops in 2025 that tested the framework’s design and usability, identifying opportunities for wider adoption across the UK.
- Policy outcomes: Using the toolkit enables local authorities to develop robust propositions for net zero delivery that investors can buy into. Developed with councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, CCE is now discussing trials with two additional LAs.
- Reach: Showcased at Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Conference, and Daring Cities in Bonn.
Qualitative Impact
- Built a shared methodology enabling authorities to coordinate emissions reductions.
- Increased confidence among local officers in identifying high-impact interventions.
- Strengthened cross-council collaboration on climate governance.
- Created a replicable national model for place-based climate leadership, with an interactive online version under development to support long-term accessibility and data tracking.
- Improved alignment between local delivery and national net zero pathways.
- Investors indicated that propositions developed using the LDC approach would be considered lower risk and more attractive.
“Businesses said they were confused about investing in local net zero targets because local timeframes differed for achieving net zero; and local political commitment and ambition was uncertain. The LDC project tackled these problems by aligning and agreeing local and national data and evidence across all sectors to influence strategic and local planning for net zero. The LDC toolkit will help all Local Authorities create a net zero investment framework that businesses and others can buy-into.”
Sheryl French, Director, Cambridge Climate Ltd
Learning and Insights
What worked well:
Deep co-design with councils; embedded climate officer engagement; strong academic–practice collaboration; and early testing through workshops.
Challenges:
Differing data availability and organisational capacity across authorities; the need for a shared baseline, changing political landscape.
Insight:
Consistent, place-based methodologies can unlock collaboration, investment and more accurate carbon accounting.
What’s Next
CCE will publish the LDC toolkit online as a free resource in early 2026. Upcoming work focuses on scaling the model to other regions, refining the toolkit and deepening community and resilience provision within the approach, and building investment pathways that support local climate leadership.
Our policy team is discussing adapting and trialling the toolkit with two additional LAs, and more are expected to follow.
To find out more or trial the LDC toolkit please contact the CCE Policy Team.