Investing in Places: Learnings for local net zero planning and attracting investment

Strengthening local net zero planning

Using insights and learnings from the Net Zero Living Programme, this report shows how local authorities can turn net zero ambitions into credible propositions that attract investment, at pace and at scale. It also lays out a practical journey, from strengthening plans, to building a focused pipeline, to mobilising finance. At every step, it offers place-based case stories to support each idea.

Firstly, it shows how planning can move faster when local authorities assume a clear role in the process, whether that is as an enabler, a contributor, or a direct lead. One example from Southampton shows how the ‘Enable, Embed, Enact’ framework helped the council clarify roles, streamline data sharing, improve stakeholder engagement, and prioritise team efforts.

Building an investable pipeline requires councils to engage early with communities to make sure projects meet local needs. They also need robust data sets and platforms to make opportunities more visible to investors and to back up decision making. An example from Bristol City Council shows how neighbourhood priorities were fed into a wider regional investment plan to evidence clear demand signals.

Finally, investors back well-prepared projects with clear cashflow logic, risk assessment, and a credible route to delivery. So, to unlock investment, local authorities need to become more fluent in commercial models and financing mechanisms, and start communicating in investors’ language. Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council increased investor interest by tailoring their renewable energy proposition to investor needs.

The report offers value for any council who wants to turn their carbon reduction ideas into investable propositions and, in doing so, create a healthier, more secure, and more prosperous future for local people.

Key findings

• The net zero economy contributed over £83 billion to the UK economy in 2023 to 2024, supporting the equivalent of 951,000 full-time jobs, making it a high value opportunity for local authorities and investors.
• Local authorities that are able to define and clearly communicate their delivery role will find it easier to streamline their planning, priorities efforts and resources, and move projects more quickly into pipeline stage.
• Pipeline development should be treated as a distinct discipline. Local authorities should consider which tools, partnerships, and business cases can help their ideas become investor-ready.
• Greater fluency in financing mechanisms and language can help local authorities present their carbon-reducing plans as scalable, de-risked propositions to would-be investors.