Lord Cromwell presses Whitehall on Sustainable Travel Leave

A question in the House of Lords has put a spotlight on whether Whitehall is doing enough to support climate-friendly choices at work.

Lord Cromwell asked the Cabinet Office what consideration it has given to offering Sustainable Travel Leave to civil servants - an initiative that actively enables and supports low-carbon travel choice.

The question reflects a growing recognition that individual climate action is often constrained by workplace rules. Many employees would prefer to take the train or ferry, but slower journeys can eat into already limited annual leave. Without structural support, the greener option is frequently the harder one.

That’s why policies like Sustainable Travel Leave are gaining traction. By giving employees a small amount of extra paid leave when they choose lower-carbon travel, employers remove a key barrier - without disrupting operations or adding cost. Evidence from employers already using the policy shows the average extra leave taken is minimal (just three minutes per employee per month), while benefits for staff wellbeing, recruitment and organisational culture are clear.

Lord Cromwell’s intervention matters because it shifts the conversation from personal responsibility to institutional leadership. If government expects businesses and citizens to align with climate goals, it must ensure its own employment practices do the same.

Whitehall has an opportunity to lead by example: showing that climate-friendly choices can be practical, fair and compatible with modern working life. As this question makes clear, momentum is building - and the expectation is that the Civil Service should be part of the solution, not lag behind it.