ADD2640 London Climate Adaptation Review – establishment of secretariat

1.1    Following another year of accelerated climate impacts on London in 2022, the Mayor is commissioning an independent review to explore how London can be better adapted to climate change impacts. 

1.2    The GLA has a legal duty to take account of climate change in undertaking its functions, but it does not have the requisite powers to directly deliver many of London’s required climate adaptation solutions. The UK’s Climate Change Committee set out a series of adaptation risks that are not suitably managed and has criticised the lack of national leadership or programme of investment required to meet the UK’s adaptation needs .  Many of these identified risks are applicable to London.

1.3    The review will explore the actions needed at national, regional and local levels to ensure we can reduce the climate impacts on people, infrastructure, environment and economy in London. The resulting output will not be a new strategy but will focus on actions.

1.4    The review will act as a ‘stocktake’ of London’s current adaptation actions, evaluate these actions and make a clear set of recommendations to guide London’s preparation for climate hazards and will identify main areas of concern and actions needed to rectify them. Its findings will focus decision makers across London and nationally on the need to prepare for climate hazards and to ensure policies and budgets integrate climate considerations. 
 
1.5    The Climate Change Committee’s March 2023 report to the UK Government ‘Progress in adapting to climate change’ highlights how inadequate the current National Adaptation plan is and how underprepared for climate change impacts the UK is, including its cities and built environment . At the launch of the latest IPCC report  UN Secretary General Guterres highlighted the need to scale up finance and capacity for adaptation noting that ‘adaptation and mitigation must be pursued with equal force and urgency’.

1.6    The proposal has been developed in discussion with relevant parts of the GLA group including the Mayor’s Office, London Resilience, Planning, Infrastructure and Housing teams. . 

1.7    The review will be led by an independent chair supported by an advisory panel, pro bono consultancy expert service provider and coordinated by a secretariat (this work programme). Separate activities are under way to recruit the chair, panel and pro-bono consultants. The short review will conclude by December 2023. The review is also being supported internally by the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience teams at City Hall including responsibility for the secretariat function. However existing teams commitments mean the project requires additional fully dedicated support from consultants. Budget has been allocated from the climate change adaptation programme as part of the 2023-24 environment and energy programme budget to support the review.  

1.8    This procurement relates to consultancy support for the first preparatory stages of work to establish a secretariat function for the ‘London Climate Adaptation Review’. The services requested under this contract will support the chair, the advisory panel, pro bono consultancy expert service provider and GLA project teams in preparing for this independent review. The procurement will be undertaken in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.  
 

2.1.    The work carried out by the provider will contribute to the successful delivery of the review. Support is required to establish a secretariat function to support the initial preparation activities for the review across the following areas: 
•    establish a detailed project plan based on overall review timeline
•    establish the necessary systems and processes for the review to function effectively 
•    support the recruitment and appointment of the expert panel 
•    coordination between the GLA and the review 
•    manage the initial ongoing administrative functions of the review process.
 
2.2.    The GLA has set out what is expected in each work package below to guide applicants. Applicants are encouraged to develop these further to meet the needs of the project and demonstrate added value.  
 

3.1.    The work of the secretariat will enable the London Climate Adaptation Review to function effectively. The Review will identify gaps and priorities for action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on London and its communities. Climate change disproportionately impacts London’s most disadvantaged and marginalised communities. There is significant intersection between climate vulnerability and people with protected characteristics (see 3.4 below).  
3.2.    The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences notes that ‘in general children and pregnant women, older adults, persons with disabilities and persons with chronic health conditions are more vulnerable to health stressors, such as extreme heat, floods, poor air quality and other climate related events’ – they also point to social, economic, environmental and political factors such as poverty and deprivation contributing to experiencing greater impacts. 
3.3.    Enabling this work to progress will help identify actions needed to support those most impacted by and vulnerable to climate change. 
 

Key risks
4.1.    Failure to deliver programme of work within deadline – 
Mitigation - allocating a GLA project officer to manage the consultant output, establish weekly progress meetings and include the production of a detailed delivery plan for this piece of work as an early task. 
4.2.    Secretariat being established by an organisation other than the GLA
Mitigation – GLA project officer and project management group to work closely with the consultant to ensure the work aligns with the overall objectives set out under the terms of reference and that governance requirements as the host organisation are met. 
4.3.    Conflict of interest between secretariat consultant and pro-bono expert consultant 
Mitigation – bidders are asked to complete a conflict of interest declaration which would include identifying involvement in other elements of the review work including the pro-bono consultancy work. 
Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.4.    Section 30.1 of the GLA Act bestows a general power on the GLA to ‘do anything which it considers will further any one or more of its principal purposes, namely promoting economic development and wealth creation, promoting social development and improving the environment in London. In using this general power the GLA take account of climate change and the consequences of climate change. It must also use the general power in a way that best contributes towards the mitigation of, or adaptation to, climate change in the UK. The review will explore how the GLA can most effectively deliver on this requirement. 
4.5.    Environment Strategy – The London Environment Strategy sets out Mayoral objectives, policies and proposals to support London to better adapt to the impacts of climate change. These include understanding and managing risks and impacts of severe weather and future climate change on critical infrastructure, public services, buildings and people, to reduce the risks and impacts of severe flooding and help London’s people, infrastructure and public services be better prepared for and more resilient to extreme heat events. The Adaptation Review will help to identify climate risk ownership and action needed across all London stakeholders to reduce overall risk. 
4.6.    London Plan – having regard to the consequences of climate change is a core principle underpinning the London Plan. Delivering Good Growth as part of the plan involves ensuring buildings and infrastructure are designed to adapt to a changing climate, making efficient use of water, reducing impacts from natural hazards like flooding and heatwaves, while mitigating and avoiding contributing to the urban heat island effect. The Adaptation Review will highlight the actions needed as part of the development of London to avoid increasing climate risk as London develops and grows. 
4.7.    Resilience Strategy – The Mayor’s Resilience Strategy identifies a number of major shocks that can immediately disrupt the city and may have wide ranging and unexpected impacts. These include drought, flooding and other extreme weather related to climate change. The strategy highlights a range of actions aimed at addressing these shocks working collaboratively with partners to build resilient places, people and processes. The Adaptation Review will highlight gaps in action and the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders across London in building greater resilience to climate change in the long term. 
4.8.    Green New Deal – The Mayor’s Green New Deal programme developed from the recognition of the impact the pandemic had on the city and the need to reframe priorities to address these impacts. The Green New Deal aims to focus efforts on tackling the climate and ecological emergencies and improve air quality by doubling the size of London's green economy by 2030 to accelerate job creation for all. The Adaptation Review will help identify actions needed to address the impacts of the climate emergency, but also identify potential opportunities of changes such as species growing patterns. 
Relevant consultations and impact assessments 
4.9.    An integrated impact assessment was undertaken as part of the development of the London Environment Strategy and London Plan and an equalities impact assessment undertaken for the London Resilience Strategy. These assessments evaluated the social, economic, environmental, health, community safety and equality consequences of the proposed policies across these strategies. Public consultation was undertaken in the development of the London Environment Strategy, the London Plan, the London Resilience Strategy and the Green New Deal programme. These strategies and resulting policies will be in scope for the consideration of the Review, which in and of itself however, will not have policy making power. 
 

5.1.    Approval is requested for expenditure of up to £25,000 on consultancy support to help establish a secretariat function for a proposed independent review of London’s preparedness for climate change – the ‘London Climate Adaptation Review’.
5.2.    This expenditure will be funded from the Climate Change Adaption delivery budget within the Environment unit’s budget for 2023-24. 
5.3.    All expenditure will be incurred in the 2023-24 financial year. The decision to use consultancy services rather than temporary agency resources has been based on the need to ensure project management expertise with capabilities and understanding of the climate adaptation field. We also need to ensure this resource is in place very quickly and with full confidence in ability to enable us to stay on track with the delivery of this priority project.