Local Sustainability
Sustainable local communities are at the
heart of sustainable development [see Regional
Sustainability for description and definition of sustainable
development].
Local communities that are sensitive to the environment, active, inclusive and safe with a common sense of
purpose and healthy local economies are essential if a good quality of
life is the goal for everyone living and working in the South West.
Some of the essential ingredients for local sustainability are:
• Local decision makers and policy makers
should listen to what local people want and involve them in the
decisions that affect them.
• Cut consumption of materials and
development on green field sites.
• Protection of the local biodiversity.
• High levels of energy efficiency and use of low carbon renewable fuel.
• Cut waste and pollution.
• Increase local access to facilities without the need to use the car.
• Build on local strengths and add
economic value locally – encourage local businesses to supply to
local retailers and markets so that customers can have confidence that
they are buying local and helping the local economy whilst reducing
environmental impacts. For example food produced locally doesn’t
have to travel far and a shorter journey means fresher food with less
packaging for disposal.
• Increase opportunities for local employment, education and training, especially for those in most need.
• Strengthen local community and cultural
identity - local distinctiveness should be valued. The variety of
customs, food and drink, landscapes, wildlife, buildings and building
materials found across the South West are what makes the region so
special in the eyes of its inhabitants and the many tourists who visit
the region and support its local economies.
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Local Agenda 21, Community Planning and Local Area Agreements
In many parts of the South West, Local Agenda 21 (LA21) has formed the basis for actions by communities towards achieving local sustainability. Local Agenda 21 originated from the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992 and is the process of
drawing up and implementing local sustainable development plans, with each local
authority working in partnership with all sectors in the local community to
achieve this.
Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are the new way of striking a deal between central Government, local authorities and major local delivery partners in an area. LAAs provide local authorities and partners with the flexibility and capacity to deliver the best solutions for their areas through a reformed relationship between central and local government.
An LAA is drawn up between a local authority and its partners on the one hand and central government on the other. It sets outcome targets reflecting local as well as national priorities. LAAs give greater local autonomy over how money is spent to meet local needs. In the South West the Government Office for the South West is responsible for overseeing and negotiating LAAs, as well as monitoring them and providing advice and support.
The primary objective of LAAs is to deliver genuinely sustainable communities through better outcomes for local people. The starting point for delivering better outcomes is for local partners to create
a shared vision and shared sense of priorities for a place. The vision will be set out in a Sustainable Community Strategy. The success of the strategy will depend on three key enablers: effective engagement; strong local leadership; and sound evidence.
The LAA, together with the sustainable community strategy and spatial development strategy, sets out the vision and delivery priorities for each place.
New LAAs will be introduced from June 2008 meaning that LAAs will be the only place where central government will agree targets with local authorities and their partners on outcomes delivered by local government on its own and in partnership with others.
The only means of measuring national priorities as delivered through LAAs will be the national indicators set for local authorities and local authority partnerships. These national indicators are contained within the "Local Performance Framework", through which local authorities will deliver better outcomes for local people. Through Local Area Agreements (LAAs), the Local Performance Framework brings together national standards and priorities set by Government with local
priorities. LAAs identify key local priorities from within the Local Performance Framework.
For further advice on LAAs visit the Local Area Agreements page on GOSW's website.
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Greener Living
"Think global, act local"
There are many easy changes we can all make to our everyday lives to help protect and improve our local environment. Global Action Plan's website provides advice for people who want to reduce the
environmental impact of their lifestyles.
Environment and greener living is an online guide to greener living on the government's main public website, Directgov. The guide is designed to help people find out what they can do in their everyday lives to tackle climate change and other environmental issues. It includes actions
involving the home, shopping, travel, food and drink, waste and recycling, energy and water saving, gardening, and also ideas on how to be greener in your workplace, school or community.
Ecological Footprint
How large or small is your personal impact on the environment? For a quick and simple on-line tool click here: Ecological Footprint Calculator (external site that hosts the
South West's resource flow analysis, ecological footprint analysis and sustainability assessment Stepping Forward). Alternatively use our simple score sheet (useful for staff awareness raising campaigns) - click here to download: Ecological footprint score sheet (pdf 150kb).
Energy Saving Trust
- sustainable energy solutions in the home and on the road.
Recycle Now campaign
- programme from WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) to get more people recycling more stuff more often.
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