The transition to clean heat will require more than new technologies and investment. It will also require effective coordination between national, regional and local organisations.
A new policy brief from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) and Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) argues that local authorities have a central role to play in supporting the delivery of clean, affordable heat, highlighting the importance of clear roles, effective planning and stronger coordination across the energy system.
The brief, Why Local Authorities Must Be at the Centre of Clean, Affordable Heat Planning and Delivery, draws on insights from a six-month knowledge exchange project between the University of Oxford and Oxfordshire County Council. The project examined how emerging energy planning frameworks are working in practice and what is needed to turn plans into delivery.
The authors argue that decarbonising heat is not simply a technical challenge, but a governance challenge requiring coordination between technologies, infrastructure providers, markets, communities and investment over the long term.
Dr Jake Barnes, Senior Researcher at the ECI and Sarah Kerr, Energy Systems Lead at OCC, identify several challenges within the current energy planning landscape, including uncertainty around how different planning frameworks fit together, where accountability sits and whether local authorities have the resources and capacity needed to fulfil their growing role.
The brief highlights that local authorities are increasingly expected to bring together stakeholders, provide local evidence and help translate national and regional objectives into place-based action. However, these responsibilities are not always matched by clear mandates, stable funding or dedicated capacity.
A second policy brief from the project, From the Ground Up: How Local Stakeholders Experience Energy Planning, provides further evidence of these challenges. Based on a survey of 18 Oxfordshire energy planning stakeholders, it found that 84% of respondents considered roles and responsibilities across local, regional and national actors to be unclear or very unclear. Respondents also identified limited capacity and resources as a key barrier to participation, while local authorities were seen as best placed to coordinate local energy planning and stakeholder engagement.
The briefings draw on experience from Oxfordshire, where researchers examined how emerging energy planning initiatives including Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP), Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP) and wider clean heat planning activities are working in practice.
Dr Barnes said: “Meeting the UK’s climate ambitions will require changing the way we heat our homes and offices. Local authorities are well positioned to play a key role in this because most of the stakeholders and changes involved occur at local rather than regional or national scales.
“The UK Government can set policy direction, create consumer protections and set minimum standards, but any coordinated delivery of clean heat solutions that drives down cost and produces equitable outcomes needs to occur locally.”
Sarah Kerr added: “Delivering clean, affordable heat is ultimately a place-based challenge. Local authorities are uniquely positioned to connect national ambition with local delivery because they understand their communities, local infrastructure and stakeholders.
“Our experience in Oxfordshire has shown that local authorities can play a vital role in coordinating evidence, partners and investment opportunities, helping to translate plans into action. However, this role cannot be taken for granted. While some authorities are able to invest in developing the necessary expertise and capacity, many face significant resource constraints. If clean heat planning is to lead to real-world delivery, local government must be recognised and supported as a key partner in the transition.”
Further information
Read the full policy briefs:
Why Local Authorities Must Be at the Centre of Clean, Affordable Heat Planning and Delivery
From the Ground Up: How Local Stakeholders Experience Energy Planning
The research underpinning the briefs was also published in the 2026 eceee Summer Study: Clean heat planning and delivery: what might effective governance entail?