Kingston Council has issued an urgent plea for increased government funding to tackle climate change, warning that the borough is "on the frontline of the climate crisis" as it faces the dual threat of extreme heat and frequent flooding. The call comes as the UK experiences its third heatwave of the year, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius or higher in May, June, and July for the first time on record.
Heatwave impacts and excess deaths
Scientists have linked more than 2,700 excess deaths to the May and June heatwaves, underscoring the severity of the situation. The Lib Dem-run council passed a motion on Tuesday night, July 15, warning that the borough faces severe local risks while holding direct responsibility to protect vulnerable residents, manage infrastructure, and reduce emissions to achieve net-zero targets by 2038.
The motion highlighted that the council's budget is already strained by soaring demand for care and housing services, making it difficult to fund necessary climate action without additional government support.
Council's role in community solutions
Local authorities are best placed to lead community-based solutions, according to the motion, including retrofitting homes, building public transport infrastructure, and supporting sustainable land use. Lib Dem councillor Mark Durrant stated: "We need to adapt, we need to upgrade our housing stock and we need to invest in homegrown secure energy. The Government holds the financial initiative, yet the gap between our local ambition and delivery capacity is widening."
He added: "We are calling on the Government to act with pace. We need the promised funding, not just for the occasional pilot project but for a systematic heat-ready approach that covers our infrastructure, our health services and our built environment."
Rejected amendment and local actions
The Kingston Independent Residents Group proposed an amendment to the motion, calling for measures such as publishing a heat resilience action plan by the end of the year, reviewing the tree planting programme, and ensuring resources for long-term watering of new trees. However, the amendment was rejected by Lib Dem councillors, who argued that these measures were already covered in the Kingston Climate Action Strategy up to 2040, and the original motion focused on securing funding for implementation.
Lib Dem councillor Tom Reeve emphasized the council's frontline role: "We are the ones who check on vulnerable residents, who open cool spaces, who plant the trees, who clear the drains when it floods, and we are asked to do all that with our hands tied." He expressed hope that the summer serves as a wake-up call to the government and all councils about the seriousness of climate change.
Motion passed and next steps
The council passed the motion with 34 votes in favour, two against, and two abstentions. It pledged to lobby the government to urgently increase funding for councils, enabling them to make decisions that protect residents. The authority will write to the new Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, outlining its concerns and calling for more climate change funding. The motion warns that "the costs and risks of inaction have never been so clear."
