Council Climate Action Scorecards: 3rd Edition

Aim: To support councils & communities to use the Scorecards for climate action & pushing Parliament to support councils to deliver net zero

Keep the Council Climate Action Scorecards going!

The Action Scorecards of 2023 and 2025 have fast become an essential fixture of the council climate sector. Residents are campaigning for further climate action, councils are  improving and still the national government fails to provide further guidance. We are raising funds to continue our vital work in providing this guidance for cash-strapped councils and communities, to create, publish and share the third edition of the Action Scorecards in 2027. 

In the last year we've trained over 500 residents on how to use the Scorecards, have seen over 110 UK councils using the Scorecards to improve and the Scorecards have been used by The Climate Change Committee and The House of Lords when calling for further council climate action and funding. 

This momentum has been created by the Scorecards, we can't stop now, councils and residents, and even Parliament, need the Scorecards. 

We need your support to continue our extensive work of: training residents on what councils can do for the climate, supporting councils to learn from each other and improve, advocating for further funding and powers from national government for local councils and, continuing to track councils progress towards net zero in future editions of the Action Scorecards. Future editions of the Scorecards are needed because "you can’t change what you don’t measure."

Check out our short video about why our work matters!

Who are we, and what is our project about?

Climate Emergency UK is a small organisation that inspires and supports UK council climate action, to enable communities and councils to reach net zero at the scale and pace needed - measured by our Council Climate Action Scorecards. We are a team of 4 staff members, as well as working in partnership with mySociety and 100s of volunteers. 

Our work is important to us because we want our local communities to be stronger, cleaner and safer for everyone. As the effects of climate change (such extreme heat, flooding and air pollution) continue to impact us, we need to take action to adapt to these changes and mitigate further impacts. Our work supports councils and communities to adapt and mitigate against climate change by providing guidance and inspiration on the actions that can be taken. 

Why is our work important

The inner workings of councils is confusing, and climate action requires extensive structural changes. This is why the Action Scorecards are useful for everyone: councillors, council staff and local campaigners can refer to them, to understand what effective climate action looks like and improve their councils' action. 

With little guidance coming from the national government or other organisations, the Action Scorecards are the missing piece of the puzzle in council climate action, providing an accurate to-do list for all councils and opportunities to learn from each other. They are the only UK wide assessment of council climate action - and it is needed more than ever to catalyse climate action, not only words, across the UK. 

And don’t just believe us, here is what council staff and our volunteers say about the Scorecards. 

“Ultimately, a platform that flags areas for improvement and signposts to best practice should only be seen positively. It enables us all to move in the same direction towards the same goal.” Kelly, Welwyn Hatfield Council

“ I gained a huge amount of knowledge in this process that has given me confidence to speak more convincingly about the climate emergency and nature. The fact that I have been a Scorecard Assessor gives me a better connection with my local council too.” Sarah,  Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth

Will you help us deliver this continuing catalyst of the Scorecards for climate action? 

30% of the progress towards net zero needed across all sectors relies on local authority involvement and influence, according to the UK Climate Change Committees’ 6th Carbon Budget. That means that these Action Scorecards can contribute to making a huge difference cutting the UK’s carbon emissions.

Most councils have declared a climate emergency and want to reach net zero by 2050 or sooner. But, without guidance, funding and community support, this work is hard. Our Scorecards support councils with one of these challenges, by providing guidance. Over 30% of UK councils are already using the Scorecards to improve. But we can’t stop now, we must continue to provide accurate advice and best practice to councils to further their climate action. 

In the last year alone we have already trained over 500 residents on how to use the Action Scorecards and effectively advocate, campaign and win much needed climate action in their areas. But we know that there are groups and areas we haven’t yet engaged with. We need support to reach communities and councils where they are, in person or online to deliver bespoke training to these groups to support them in their work. 

Your donations will help us remain a reliable and trusted tool for councils and campaigners alike until net zero is achieved. 

Help us keep going through devolution

Creating the Scorecards is a mammoth task involving 100s of volunteers, 4 staff and advice from many other organisations. But it's not just a matter of publishing the scorecards once, or twice and we're done - this is only the first step on a very long path. We need to carry on making regular assessments of climate action to provide continued shared transparency of council climate action. We have a long way to go to reach net zero and these Scorecards must track and drive climate action in the coming years to support councils and communities delivering this work. They need continual updating, in collaboration with councils and residents, to remain relevant, accurate and timely.

What’s more, English devolution is going to bring about significant changes in England, and we need to be ready to update the Scorecards accordingly and assess these new council structures in due course. 

Why are we crowdfunding?

Climate Emergency UK is a small organisation, reliant on grants and donations to remain independent. We have limited core funding and don’t have the fundraising capacity of bigger organisations; we are reliant on volunteers to make the Scorecards happen. Therefore we need funds from supporters like you to continue next year. 

Our Scorecards are only UK-wide assessments of UK councils, making it the biggest and most detailed climate action tool for the council climate sector. With council budgets slashed year on year by the national government, and volunteers making up the vast majority of those campaigning for change, the Scorecards are an essential learning tool to a resourced-strapped sector. We need support from people like yourselves so we can create the third edition of the Action Scorecards and provide training and support to those using the Scorecards. 

As an organisation we punch above our weight in the sector, but we can’t do this on motivation alone. We need your support to ensure our work continues to have the impact it is already having, to support the transition to net zero at the scale and pace needed.

What your donation will fund

We will use the funds to maximise the impact and use of the 2025 Action Scorecards, and review the methodology in order to create the next Action Scorecards, following English devolution and the changing powers this might bring. 

If we reach our fundraising target, we will be able to: 

• Deliver in-person and online workshops to community climate action groups on how to win climate action with the Action Scorecards
• Increase our year-round media coverage to continue to highlight council climate action
• Effectively evaluate the 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards with input from councils, campaigners and others
• Start creating the next Council Climate Action Scorecards, amending as necessary following English devolution

Since our last online fundraiser, we have:

• Updated the Scorecards methodology to be more accurate and relevant
• Trained 250 volunteers who took part in the 2025 Action Scorecards first mark
• Had our work referenced in the House of Lords and Parliament
• Secured over 300 press hits in the last 18 months, influencing local and national news on council climate action 

How you can help

We really appreciate any support you can give us to keep us, communities and councils working towards net zero. 

Thank you so much! 

There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:

1. Make a donation - Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.

2. Spread the word - Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

3. Volunteer with us - If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch through the ‘Contact’ section using the subject "I want to volunteer my time or expertise" on our project page.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd July 2025 at 9:41am