The UK Government are working towards their Spring Budget which is to be released on the 15th of March (2023). Within this budget, there will be measures that were recommended by MP, Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero Review.
The UK Corporate Leaders Group, also known as CLG have put forward seven recommendations regarding net zero. The Group, containing 16 major companies including, Amazon, Coca Cola, EDF, Sky and Unilever, wants to make sure that net zero is at the heart of the UK Government’s budget plans.
The Group have stated that the UK Government must work on reaching strong net zero remits within departments that do work regarding education, infrastructure and innovation.
The Group have also recommended that the Treasury works to develop a new Net-Zero Fiscal Reform Strategy. The strategy should allow business to see how policies surrounding net zero will affect the UK’s economy.
CLG has stated that organisations should release their emissions data to “empower financiers and business to make better informed decisions about capital allocation”. This recommendation from the Group has come from their proposal to make the UK a lead nation in climate-related disclosures.
Due the transition that will occur with the government’s move towards net zero, the Group have also recommended that the public have access to information regarding green skills, finance, and jobs, to make the transition easier for them. To do this the CLG has suggested that the government puts action plans in place that will reskill and upskill workers ready for greener jobs.
Beverley Cornaby, CLG’s Programme Director has recommended that the UK Government needs to work quickly to reach net zero and should consider both people and the environment. She stated that:
“We need to approach the hurdles ahead of us holistically – nothing meaningful will be possible if we tackle climate action in a piecemeal way. Taking this comprehensive view of action offers opportunities to move change along at pace and scale in meeting the UK’s climate targets. A cross-cutting approach means we can also address the needs of people, climate and nature simultaneously.”
