Introduction

Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (YHCC) has been looking at scenario planning for 2026 to prepare ahead of the May local elections. Current projections suggest potential political shifts, while climate action, around which there has traditionally been consensus, is now seen as up for debate and politicised in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.

Concerns about these political headwinds and their implications for the Yorkshire and Humber region (and more widely) have prompted YHCC to seek our Commissioners’ and Associates’ views on the support they need to navigate these changing times.  This paper summarises what they said, confirming that impacts are already being felt and are presenting challenges.  Findings from the sessions show that engagement and messaging through positive storytelling is key for all of us working in this space, and that Commissioners and Associates would value support with this.

We set out how the Commission is responding, as well as actions for the YHCC core team. We conclude with communications resources, guidance, and key lines, as well as specific asks for Commissioners and Associates to help the collective enterprise.

 

Context

Shifting political and media narratives and political polarisation at the national level, particularly around net zero, have started to affect the context for organisations advocating for ambitious climate action. While noise around this has become louder, the signal remains strong that there is broad support for climate policy (two in three Britons support the UK’s net zero target) and that people are concerned about climate and nature and want the government to do more.

However, concerns around costs and the economy are biting: the latest YouGov data shows 75% of those opposed think it will leave them worse off, and climate and the environment have dropped in saliency from third place in 2023 to eighth place in terms of Britons’ top issues, which are dominated by migration, cost of living and the NHS. Distrust in institutions and disillusionment with political status quo means that many can’t see how climate action will work or produce benefits.

There is potential for the political landscape to change significantly, too. 2026 will see a broad sweep of local elections in England (on 7 May). In Yorkshire and the Humber there are elections for all seats in Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, most of the seats in Hull, and a third of the seats in Leeds and Sheffield. Councils holding whole council elections in May 2027 are North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council, while Calderdale, Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees, Sheffield and Wakefield will have one-third of their councillors up for election. 2028 will have mayoral elections for South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire; further mayoral elections for Hull and East Yorkshire, and Greater Lincolnshire are due in 2029 – along with the General Election.

 

Response

After watching the impact and change in discourse following the May 2025 local and Mayoral elections, the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission Core Team and Public Affairs Steering Group developed and led a consultative piece of work.  Three one-hour online workshops were held on 11th, 15th and 16th December 2025 that included facilitated breakout sessions to find out more about how Commissioners and Associates and their sectors are being affected, and what they needed in terms of support from the YHCC core team, and across the whole Commission. Around 70 people attended across the three sessions.

Findings from the workshops are synthesised in the Appendix.

 

Asks

Participants were asked to respond to the questions: ‘What support do you need, and how can YHCC help?  What should YHCC do to capture and sustain imagination?’ Their responses are summarised below.

 

Messaging

Commissioners and Associates wanted consistent, clear messaging that is honest about the threat of climate breakdown but champions the benefits and leads with hope. This included requests for robust and accessible evidence to counter misinformation, and guidance on communication strategies underpinned with research to support behaviour change. Messaging needs to acknowledge a spectrum of values and views and be tailored accordingly, linking challenges to solutions and showing that the future can be fairer and more equitable, especially for those struggling now.

The YHCC core team was asked to brief Commissioners and Associates on key messages about being climate ready and the reality of what this entails, and through our membership, use all the resources of the Commission to collect, curate and share messages and stories that capture and sustain the imagination around ambitious climate action across the region.

 

Engagement and storytelling

There was a strong appeal for the whole Commission to highlight bottom-up solutions, and to elevate examples of these through engaging with communities and capturing local stories and passion. Sourcing ‘frontline’ stories from people delivering and benefiting from climate action initiatives, diverse voices, and trusted messengers and targeting them at audiences most exposed to anti-climate rhetoric should be part of this.

Shared values around land, nature and community that cut across political boundaries were identified as areas of focus, as well as holistic approaches that connect health, food, and the economy to climate change solutions. Engaging interfaith communities around shared values like Earth stewardship that transcend politics was also emphasised.

Another recommendation was for the YHCC core team to support peer learning and share successes across institutions to encourage agency and reduce ‘doom and gloom’. An appeal was made for the Commission to work to create accessible spaces for youth engagement to tackle eco-anxiety and link up with schools. The use of creative approaches, for example arts and comedy, to engage all kinds of audiences was flagged as an important element of engagement, as well as engaging through sport and heritage.

Those who attended the online sessions said they want to be part of a Commission that is leading with hope and positivity, and they stressed the importance of this in capturing and sustaining imagination around climate and nature ambition.

 

Practical solutions

Asks included showing working solutions (for example, energy-efficient homes, the work of demonstrator projects) and providing visible, local examples of successful projects, sharing success stories and practical applications to show what’s possible. Equally, to provide a reality check in the form of illustrations Commissioners can use showing where a business-as-usual approach could lead. There were also requests for searchable platforms allowing people to find regional examples of initiatives or projects they might be considering doing.

 

Tools, Data, and Innovation

Help for businesses was requested, with guidance and timelines for action and signposting to existing tools and frameworks that measure impact, or develop cornerstone indicators and frameworks for impact measurement. Other requests included mapping the skills needed to link industrial strategy and future workforce planning, and exploring the potential for tools that can amplify diverse voices and prepare stakeholders for change.

 

Convening role

Participants asked for YHCC’s position and strength as a convenor of organisations and people to be publicised more widely. The broad cross-section of representation across the Commission was identified as giving it legitimacy as a trusted voice, especially to share messages that might be more difficult or even restricted for others to put out publicly. People felt that YHCC should not change to meet political needs but should prioritise work to align with regional policy interests.

The convening role goes beyond the Yorkshire and Humber region: participants wanted YHCC to coordinate pressure on central government and said that it should also seek to ‘elevate the North’ by demonstrating positive outcomes that reduce the north-south gap. This should include working with the region’s mayors. Outside of politics, building coalitions with civil society was another priority, along with building relationships with and making better use of private sector voices to increase our influence.

 

Actions for the YHCC core team

Communications and engagement is a key area, and the YHCC core team is addressing this through new strands of work in our communications planning. That includes the production of new guidance and resources for Commission members (see below) on messaging and working with the media, as well as through a strengthened and more strategic approach to curating and disseminating positive stories from across the region.

The team is also exploring the potential for media partnerships (some of which involve costs) and alliances to give the Commission a wider platform to achieve this, building relationships with journalists, as well as increasing digital engagement through storytelling on Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Other options and avenues are being explored, from involvement in podcasts to proactive engagement with news stories and original content and training tools based on creative storytelling informed by community conversations.

The actions above will be underpinned by a revised Organisational Strategy, from which communications and engagement strategies will flow, along with a refreshed Public Affairs strategy.

Most of the other asks that were captured in the three online sessions, particularly around tools, data and innovation, and searchable platforms, align with the work already ongoing in the Commission’s projects. However, clarity is needed about what new outputs are within the team’s capacity to provide, and how Commission members can actively contribute. We set this out in the sections below.

 

Guidance and resources

To accompany this paper, the YHCC team is producing the following resources and opportunities for Commission members (from March 2026 onwards):

  • An Introduction to Talking Climate (with ADEPT): a short handy guide for climate communicators based on up-to-date, evidence-based approaches. Download the guide here: https://www.adeptnet.org.uk/talking-climate
  • Preparing for Media Interviews: Tips on speaking to the media on behalf of Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (based on professional workshop with journalists). Available on request (will also be added to a forthcoming comms hub on the YHCC website).
  • Key Message Briefings: issue-specific responses and reactive lines; this will also include in-depth research about how people in the region view climate action.
  • Training opportunities, e.g. media training, storytelling, integrating climate communications in organisations
  • Good Futures Framework – a foundational piece of original research from YHCC that will be released in beta version in February (tbc), helping organisations to put fairness at the heart of climate projects and policies.

The scenarios conversation is ongoing, and guidance will be updated as the Commission monitors and responds to political shifts occurring regionally (and nationally).

 

Actions for everyone

The Commission is greater than the sum of its parts – which means it needs everyone’s input to achieve its aims. As well as looking at all the ways the YHCC core team can support individuals and organisations in their own work, the team needs help to do the work identified here too. This could be:

  • Giving your time and energy as a Commissioner or Associate, helping to steer the Commission and its projects and groups.
  • Connecting the Commission with the stories and initiatives you hear about or are involved with for new case studies.
  • Linking up the Commission with your internal communications teams so that we can form a self-supporting regional network for climate communicators.
  • Putting us in touch with any friendly media contacts you have.
  • Sharing YHCC content and messages through your networks.
  • Volunteering to be part of our Commissions media team and being prepared to give interviews, potentially on radio, podcasts, or television, or to be videoed for use on our socials and YouTube channel.
  • Being a panellist or a speaker for YHCC at events.
  • Running public engagement sessions.
  • Writing blogs, articles or case studies.
  • Funding/sponsoring initiatives: we have been approached to do a paid-for media campaign, but it needs substantial funding – can you help us raise the money?

 

How to talk about the Commission

This section is to help you frame messages about Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission when talking about who we are and what we do. The position described here represents where we are here and now in March 2026. Language will be updated in line with the new organisational strategy once finalised.

 

Who We Are

Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission is an independent advisory body that supports and guides ambitious action on climate and nature via a place-based approach at a regional scale and through cross-sector collaboration. [1]

The Commission is an anchor, providing a solid, consistent presence and a committed, unwavering voice for action on climate and nature, reassuring and enabling leaders to have the confidence to act.

We are trusted for our impartiality and integrity. We are open and will work with everyone. Our recommendations and decisions are based on evidence, engagement, and collective experience, and guided by fairness.

We are independent, transparent, honest, and principled. This includes thinking differently, putting reducing inequalities at the heart of climate action, and being brave about challenging the status quo.

We are proud to be Yorkshire – and we think it can lead the way.  With our beautiful countryside and coast, our mix of vibrant cities, industry, and rural economies, our heritage and spirit of innovation, and our diverse cultures and strong communities, Yorkshire and the Humber has everything to be a national exemplar of a thriving, well-adapted region powered by clean energy that works for people and nature.

 

What We Do

The Commission’s model of climate governance co-ordinates policies geographically and thematically, centred on the Climate Action Plan for Yorkshire and the Humber.

We advocate strongly for climate and nature action and policies at all levels, from parishes to Parliament. We highlight and disseminate best practice across the region and more widely.

We provide a safe space to broker and nurture conversations and connections. We work collaboratively with communities, councils, organisations, businesses, decision makers and individuals across political boundaries, sectors, within networks and at different scales, to support, inspire, amplify, increase momentum and raise ambition on climate and nature, helping everyone to play their part in different ways.

 

Get in touch

Contact for success stories, writing, comms contacts, etc: Kate Lock, Climate Commissions Communications Manager: K.M.Lock@leeds.ac.uk

Other enquiries: YHClimate@leeds.ac.uk

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Appendix

Commissioners and Associates were asked to respond to the questions: ‘What are the challenges and likely impacts for you and your organisation? Is your approach already changing? How?’ The notes below are a summary of the responses of the individuals that took part in the three workshops.

 

Funding

There has already been a significant impact on funding opportunities due to uncertainty created by the changing political environment. People are seeing severe reductions and resources being redirected, with short-term ‘quick wins’ prioritised over longer term and more meaningful impact. The private sector is seeing a lack of support and seems to be losing confidence, with corporates scaling back on carbon targets (although renewables still have buy-in). Local authority budgets are tightly ringfenced; voluntary sector organisations are facing stiff competition (eg for nature recovery funds) and university cuts are reducing climate research.

 

Politics, leadership and governance

The political landscape is becoming increasingly unsupportive of, or wary about, sustainability/climate. That said, the public sector is doing extraordinary things, but under the radar, and pushback is likely if popular policies (retrofit, active travel) are rolled back. Councils with strong climate reputations receive more political “noise” but on the doorstep, climate impacts are real and policies and programmes to support adaptation and mitigation resonate. While different framings (energy security, economics) can have a more positive response, this is not consistent or guaranteed. Anti-science policy announcements from national politicians undermine regional climate action and have the potential to make climate-positive organisations a target.  There was an observation that progress is stalling in some Mayoral Combined Authorities where budgets are not cascading down to fund actions. While not all organisations are experiencing immediate operational change, political developments are being monitored in anticipation of major impacts by 2027.

 

Narratives and language

Changing narratives driven by populist positions on net zero have created a shift in language to focus on the co-benefits of climate action: warm homes, clean air, lower bills, more jobs, energy security. Climate action is being ‘rebranded’ in terms of energy/power, and with an emphasis on benefits being locally owned and people-focused (ie city-led rather than council-led). Health is also a strong narrative, linking personal health to environmental benefits. Some flagged deep concern about this being a fragmented approach that fails to acknowledge the real, imminent and longer term risks the region is facing; others felt there is an opportunity to reposition the narrative around climate readiness. While benefits framings have wider appeal, public concerns about costs and bills need to be directly addressed, and strong economic arguments made. Dominant media narratives feel negative, leaving people discouraged and weakening a sense of agency.

 

Engagement

Engagement is becoming increasingly challenging – it is difficult to grab and direct attention when people are concerned with self-preservation and the cost-of-living crisis. For SMEs, regulation/legislation is needed to drive action, although they respond to benefit-driven narratives that may also resonate emotionally (eg around nature). Large businesses are continuing to champion ESG/climate action for economic/consumer reasons. A standout area bucking the trend is the land management sector, which shows strong alignment on climate issues despite diverse political views, based on a shared interest in usable, productive land and understanding of the wider benefits.

 

Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission, 6 March 2026

 

 Note: feedback from the workshops was noted by facilitators under Chatham House rules. Notes were subsequently summarised and grouped into themes by CoPilot and then reviewed, edited, and written up by a human.

 

[1] ‘The Commission’ and ‘YHCC’ refers to the wider body of Commissioners, Associates, Affiliates, groups, projects and networks that make up Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission. YHCC brings together over 150 people, all of whom, apart from the core team, participate voluntarily. (See Terms of Reference.) In this paper, ‘we’ means this wider group, and we are explicit when the reference is to the YHCC core team.