Giving the Green Light

Policy Ideas for a Model Environmentally Sustainable Council

Author: Tom Shakespeare   |   16/07/2009

This report represents the final results of an accumulation of over six months of discussions, workshops and research into the policies of a model environmentally sustainable Council. The process has been unusual in the sense that the policies in this report were chosen by all those people who have been involved, from stage one where the guiding principles were agreed, through to the final stage where the policies were formed and reformed into a coherent set of recommendations. We are now inviting Councils to trial these ideas, and with our support, to make them a real success.

The main points to tease out of the report are:

• Local government can and should be doing more – Councils should learn from other Councils. They should set themselves ambitious targets and meet them. They should enshrine environmental thinking into all that they do.
• There are examples of good practice in the UK and abroad – There are examples around the world of where ambitious schemes can be met at little or no cost, or which demonstrate enormous benefits for the sustainability of local areas.
• Councils have a number of cultural barriers to change – The environment is not considered broadly within the strategy of the Council in most Councils to a sufficient degree. Especially in the current economic climate, there is a danger that it slips off the political radar.
• Councils are not using the number of low-cost tools at their disposal to enact change – These include their communications tools, procurement and commissioning, extensive borrowing powers, reserves, trading powers and ability to partner with neighbouring local authorities.

The report contains six policy recommendations for Councils. These are:

1. Enshrine eco-budgeting into the usual budgeting process
2. Make environmental performance and costs visible
3. Develop and promote travel networking websites
4. Create a green Council transport fleet
5. Ensure medium/large new developments have CHP facilities ahared with their local communities
6. Encourage the development of eco business parks and eco zones

Councils are invited to trial these policies. Councils should contact us at info@localis.org.uk or 0207 340 2660 to find out more.