10 environment pledges. Make the May 2026 London elections count!

Calling all Londoners and election candidates! Let’s make the May 2026 London Borough Elections count

• Candidates – back the 10 environmental pledges here
• Londoners – ask your candidates to back the 10 pledges by signing the petition now and contacting any candidates who have already announced they are standing
• View the 10 Environmental Pledges

The More Natural Capital Coalition has launched its manifesto: 10 Environmental Pledges for the May 2026 London Borough Elections. Check out the 10 environmental pledges slides (from the webinar), the event recording [coming soon] and meeting chat.

In May 2026, Londoners will head to the polls and the city’s natural environment is on the ballot. The manifesto, composed by some of the capital’s top environmental charities, including London Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust, London Living Streets and CPRE London, sets out priorities for protecting nature, supporting climate resilience and improving access to green spaces across London.

The coalition states: “From the threat posed by climate change to the depletion of our natural world and growing inequalities in health and wellbeing, London needs leaders who are ready to deliver a better future for people and nature. The ten pledges set out practical actions that candidates and existing councillors can adopt to protect nature, improve access to green and blue spaces, and deliver real environmental benefits for local communities.”

From installing rain gardens to creating new areas of wetland, each pledge has been written by leading experts from the coalition and is designed to be deliverable within a single council term. The coalition is calling on election candidates to back the pledges and reflect them in party election manifestos. Londoners will also be encouraged to raise the pledges with their local political parties, current councillors and election candidates.

• More info on the coalition and our 2026 campaign here
• View or download the pledges here or read them below.

10 Environmental Pledges for the May 2026 London Borough Elections:

PROTECT TREES

1. Record all ancient, veteran and notable trees in a Borough Register of heritage trees, and commit to their protection, including using Tree Preservation Orders where appropriate

CLEAN RIVERS

2. Create at least one new area of wetland in the borough where feasible, including by de-culverting rivers.

3. Prioritise installation of well-designed on-street rain gardens where other street works are planned; and directly support householders to capture rainfall, & re-green and de-pave front gardens.

GREEN & BLUE SPACE FOR ALL & A HOME FOR NATURE

4. Actively bring back into use, at least one derelict or ‘landbanked’ green site, so it can become a nature reserve, playing field, park, growing space or wetland.

5. Ensure all green and blue spaces are properly funded, thrive and all are managed to Green Flag standards, and sign the Parks Charter.

6. Protect Local Wildlife Sites, Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, valuable & heritage green spaces in your Local Plan or through Local Green Space, Fields in Trust or Village Green status.

7. Give every community access to nature on their doorstep, and deliver London’s nature recovery priorities in the borough, including new wildlife corridors and nature habitat.

A RIGHT TO GROW

8. Support the Right To Grow campaign, including by creating or restoring more orchards and community food growing spaces on unused land.

GREEN & HEALTHY STREETS

9. Transform at least one street in your borough into a local, nature-rich park in a neighbourhood lacking public green space (like Alfred Place Gardens in Camden).

10. Deliver healthy, safe streets with lower traffic, including through liveable neighbourhoods and reallocating parking spaces for urban greening, tree planting and benches.