You’ll see the phrase “just transition” a lot on this site, so it’s worth explaining what it means and why it sits at the heart of everything the Commission does.
The move to a low-carbon economy is happening whether we plan for it or not — energy systems, transport, land use and industry are all changing. A just transition means making sure that change is fair: that the costs and benefits aren’t loaded onto the people and places least able to bear them, and that new opportunities in green skills, energy and nature recovery are genuinely open to everyone, not just those who already have the resources to access them.
For Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, that has a particular resonance. This is a region that has been through major economic transition before, and knows both the opportunities and the real human cost that change can bring when it isn’t planned with communities. A just transition means learning from that: bringing workers, residents and businesses into the process early, not treating them as an afterthought once the plans are made.
It’s a simple phrase carrying a serious commitment — and one the Commission holds itself accountable to.