Mobilising local action through the Nottingham Sustainable Growth Assembly

Ensuring that national ambitions are grounded in local realities is essential to making the transition both meaningful and effective. Following the launch of our net zero policy commission in late 2024, the university is working with regional stakeholders to explore how the commission’s recommendations can be translated into practical action that aligns with existing regional plans and objectives for achieving net zero.

This work will inform the development of a regional roadmap for a just transition, one that recognises the unique strengths, challenges, and aspirations of communities in the Midlands. It will consider how local planning processes, economic strategies, and skills development can embed the values of fairness, inclusion, and opportunity that sit at the heart of the commission’s work.

Co-ordinating sustainable activities in Nottingham

A key moment in this regional engagement will be the upcoming Nottingham Sustainable Growth Assembly on 15 May 2025. Co-hosted by the University of Nottingham’s Institute for Policy and Engagement, Green Hustle, Nottingham Climate Assembly, and Resolve Notts, this collaborative, community-led event puts the focus on Nottingham city as a key component of this regional transformation.

The event will bring together voices from across the city, from policy and industry, grassroot organisations and academia, to explore how we can collectively turn just transition principles into concrete actions to enact real-world change.

The assembly will address pressing local issues, such as the social and industrial barriers to inclusive growth, and the importance of creating a compelling and inclusive public narrative around the move to net zero that reflects Nottingham’s ambitions for a greener and fairer future.

The key outcomes of this event will be presented at the Green Hustle Festival on 31 May where the wider public will be encouraged to contribute and feed into our collective dialogue with local decision makers. By fostering open dialogue and shared ownership, the assembly aims to build momentum behind a local approach that supports community agency and delivers tangible benefits of local people.

Through this next phase of work, the University continues to build on its commitment to shaping a fair, fast, and effective transition, one that moves from policy recommendations to real-world outcomes, and from national strategies to local impact.