Impacts on SW and
background information
Sectors:
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Biodiversity
- Business and Utilities
- Housing and Construction
- Local Government
- Tourism
- Transport
Warming to the idea*
*SW Climate Change Impact Scoping Study including report summary and technical report
Young Climate Change
Champion - SW
Aim:
To support local authorities at a strategic and a service delivery level to plan and adapt to extreme weather and future climate change.
Lead contact: Alex Webb (alex.webb@environment-agency.gov.uk) of Climate SouthWest.
Latest Progress Report
- for past papers, see below. See also the section 'Situation Report and Background Information on NI188' below.
Climate SouthWest NI188 Coordinator Final Project Report
Between November 2009 and March 2011, Climate SouthWest managed a successful project providing dedicated support to the 16 South West upper tier local authorities on the delivery of climate change adaptation, specifically under National Performance Indicator 188 (NI188): Planning to Adapt to Climate Change. The project, funded by the SW Improvement and Efficiency Programme (SWIEP), was delivered in partnership with Government Office
for the South West and the Environment Agency, with support from UKCIP. This final report gives an overview of the project outputs which included 8 events; evaluates the success of the project in terms of the progress made by the participating local authorities; and makes some recommendations on how to keep adaptation high on the local authority agenda following the abolition of NI188. To read the report click here: NI188 Coordinator Final Report, May 2011 (pdf).
In addition, 5 local authority good practice case studies were developed following the project, These can be accessed on the local government section of the case studies page.
Climate SouthWest Local Climate Impacts Profile Project Final Report
Between April to July 2010, Climate SouthWest managed a successful project to support 9 upper tier local authorities in the South West undertake a Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP). The project, funded by the SW Improvement and Efficiency Programme (SWIEP), was delivered in partnership with Studentforce for Sustainability and the UK Climate Impacts
Programme (UKCIP). The project was designed to help 9 local authorities build an understanding of the impacts and consequences of current extreme weather events on their service delivery. This final report highlights the collective findings of the 9 individual LCLIPs, evaluates the benefits of the collaborative project methodology, provides a suggested methodology for monitoring and recording future
impacts, and makes a number of recommendations for both Climate SW and local authorities. To read the report click here: CSW LCLIP Report, February 2011(pdf).
Climate SW advice note (November 2010) on embedding climate change adaptation into LA Local Economic Assessments now available
The above advice from Climate SW can be downloaded here CSW LEA advice note (November 2010) (doc). For more information on Local Economic Assessments go to the South West Observatory
website: http://www.swo.org.uk/local-economic-development/local-economic-assessments/.
Note.
Climate SouthWest has closed the special Local Authorities: Planning to Adapt to Climate Change page and now incorporates key information previously held there within this page. This follows the decision by the Coalition Government to revoke all designations of local improvement targets in Local Area Agreements (LAAs) including National Indicator 188 (Planning to adapt to climate change).
Note. For climate change and/or sustainable energy strategies published by SW Local Authorities see the Low Carbon South West web page.
Situation Report and Background Information on National Indicator 188
- Planning to Adapt to Climate Change (NI188)
Letter of 11 November 2010 from Defra to Local Authority Chief Executives arising from the decision to end central performance monitoring via Local Area Agreements and the National Indicator Set
Secretary of State for CLG, Mr Eric Pickles, wrote to LA Leaders and Chief Executives on 13 October 2010 revoking under section 109 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 all designations of local improvement targets in LAAs with immediate effect. This meant that he was handing over full control of all current Local Agreements to LAs allowing them to drop any targets that they wish.
CLG will no longer monitor any targets that LAs retain. In addition CLG will not be making any payments for Performance Reward Grant against the 2008-11 LAA targets. Mr Pickles also announced that the National Indicator Set would be replaced with a single, comprehensive list of all data CLG expect local government to provide to central government with the aim of making data requirements transparent and to reduce this for April 2011.
The following are extracts from a letter from Robin Mortimer, Director Climate Change Adaptation, Air Quality, Landscape and Rural Affairs at Defra to Local Authority Chief Executives dated 11 November 2010. This explained the Government's policy on climate change adaptation planning by local authorities:
The report "How well prepared is the UK for climate change?" by the independent Adaptation Sub-Committee on climate change confirms that local authorities have an essential role to play in planning ahead and taking adaptation action. The report sets out the good progress that has been made in driving forward adaptation at the local level, as well as where further consideration of adaptation is needed on delivering land use planning, providing local infrastructure, implementing building control, managing green space and coordinating emergency planning. These are areas where, without additional timely action, it may be too late effectively to manage the local impacts from a more challenging future climate.
The Sub-Committee has stressed that more immediate and thorough action is needed across the public sector - including by local authorities, as well as businesses and individuals, to ensure that the UK is preparing adequately for a changing climate. All organisations need to move up an "adaptation ladder" of key activities - progressing from building understanding and capacity, to incorporating the impacts of climate change into key decisions, and ultimately taking tangible action to reduce the risks. The Sub-Committee also highlights the strong economic case for early action - timely adaptation measures "may reduce damages from climate change by roughly half for moderate amounts of warming".
The latest set of self assessment matrices and level scores provided under National Indicator 188 - Planning to Adapt to Climate Change (NI188), show that many authorities are moving forwards, but few are at the stage of fully implementing adaptation plans.
Following the recent announcement to end central performance monitoring via Local Area Agreements and the National Indicator Set, Defra has been reviewing the value of continuing to report NI 188 data to central Government. We have concluded that whilst local authorities may wish to continue to collect the self assessment data for their own adaptation purposes, they should no longer be required to report the data to central Government. We will not, therefore, require authorities to submit Year 3 self-assessment matrices at the end of this financial year; but we would be happy to hear about the further progress you are making on adaptation.
Going forwards, the way that central and local government work together must reflect the new approaches introduced by localism, decentralisation and the Big Society, and the challenge of reducing the deficit. The cross-government Adapting to Climate Change Programme is already working closely with DCLG and the Local Government Group to consider how we can continue to concentrate on adaptation against this backdrop.
Background Information on National Indicator 188
- Planning to Adapt to Climate Change (NI188)
Following the decision in October 2010 by the Coalition Government to revoke all designations of local improvement targets in Local Area Agreements (LAAs) the following information is provided for background and historic interest only.
LAAs were established by the previous Government under its local performance framework. On 16 November 2007 Defra produced guidance to Government Offices in the regions on its high-level expectations from LAAs as follows:-
- Under the local government performance framework, local authorities would need to produce a climate change adaptation plan that assessed the risks climate change posed to the local area and set out the actions to deal with those risks.
- Local authorities and local strategic partnerships should demonstrate that they had factored climate change adaptation - risks and opportunities - into their LAAs.
- Local authorities and their local strategic partnerships that wished to demonstrate clear leadership in this area would have either included appropriate local indicators in their LAA and/or started to take action in putting their adaptation plans in place.
Click here to download the specific guidance note issued in April 2008 from Defra on NI 188 "Planning to Adapt to Climate Change" :- Defra NI 188 guidance, April, 2008 (word doc).
NI 188 and the adaptation reporting power under the Climate Change Act 2008
The following extract from Defra's '2009 Strategy for exercising the Adaptation Reporting Power and list of priority reporting authorities' (presented to Parliament pursuant to section 65 of the Climate Change Act 2008) explained the relationship at that time between Local Authorities, NI 188 and the reporting power under the Act:-
Local authorities
5.5
Local authorities, because of their wide range of responsibilities, are key organisations in reducing the risks of climate change. In recognition of this, the Government has included a new adaptation performance indicator (National Indicator 188) in the new local performance framework. NI188 measures the
progress a local authority has made in assessing the risks and opportunities of climate change, and developing programmes of measures to address those risks. Under the local performance framework, each local authority is required to report their progress against NI188. This and other local outcomes delivered by local authorities by themselves
or in partnership will be assessed and reported to local people through the new Comprehensive Area Assessment public service inspectorates jointly. Therefore the expectations under NI188 are closely aligned with what reporting authorities will be expected to deliver under the Reporting Power.
5.6
The existence of NI188 does not mean that local authorities are indefinitely exempt from reporting to the Secretary of State, but it does mean that there will be sufficient scrutiny of authorities through the self-assessment process and NI188 so that we will not ask authorities to report under the first round of the adaptation reporting
power. 2009-2011 will be a period during which we evaluate the benefits brought through NI188.
Tools
Please visit our Tools page for access to relevant tools (e.g. LCLIP and the Nottingham Declaration Action Pack) - this can be found under 'Local Government sector'.
Local authority climate change adaptation advice
Local and Regional Partnership Board (LRAP) NI188 Guidance:
The latest version of LRAP's indicator guidance notes for NI188 to help manage the process of delivery can be found on the Defra - LAs and taking action on climate change web page.
NI 188 sources of advice and guidance
Advice note from Climate SouthWest on sources of advice and guidance (November 2008) (pdf 111kb).
See also advice note from the Environment Agency (SW):
NI 188 - Environment Agency (SW) guidance for Local Authorities (pdf 473kb).
Defra's web page on LAs and taking action on climate change
This provides information on the aims and objectives of NI188 and national guidance: Defra - LAs and taking action on climate change.
NI188 and Prioritised risk-based assessments and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
In September 2008 GOSW and Climate SouthWest (then SWCCIP) produced a guidance note on how the existing requirements under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) supports the actions required under NI188 so that LAs/LSPs can avoid duplication of effort. Click here to download NI 188 and CCA guidance (pdf).
Note:
The "Emergency Preparedness" guidance from HM Government on Part 1 of the CCA 2004 can be found on-line from this link: Emergency Preparedness (external site).
The Nottingham Declaration addresses both mitigation and adaptation and its accompanying 'Action Pack' provides the sort of measurable targets required for LAAs, as well as further guidance and information. For further information on adapting to climate change, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) and Climate SouthWest can offer advice and good practice.
Directory of climate change support for local authorities
This directory from the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA) covers both mitigation (NI185 and NI186) and adaptation (NI 188) and can be downloaded from the Nottingham Declaration website from this link: Directory of climate change support for LAs. Note. This
Directory is work in progress and will be updated periodically. The contact at I&DeA for comments/suggestions is Tim Maiden (email: Tim.Maiden@idea.gov.uk).
Flooding advice for local authorities from the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA)
These dedicated web pages from I&DeA provide comprehensive flooding guidance (managing flood risk, surface water management, spatial planning, emergency planning, etc) for LAs. Click on link: www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=12656790.
Past Papers etc
Natural solutions: Creating green and resilient communities, Swindon, 17 November 2010
Special event for Forward Planners, strategic Directors and Councillors. You can download the presentation slides from here:-
- Natural solutions: Creating green and resilient communities - general presentation
- by Fiona Swan, Climate SouthWest (pdf 1Mb) - Practical examples of Green Infrastructure from home and abroad
- by Peter Wilkinson of The Next Field Limited (pdf 2.3Mb)
Preparing for Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the SW, Taunton, 28 October 2010
Special event for Councillors and Officers. You can download the presentation slides from here:-
South West NI188 Workshop, Exeter, 21 July 2010
You can download the presentation slides from here (one complete set):-
- 21 July 2010 workshop: SW LCLIP project, comprehensive action plan, and engaging with LSPs (pdf 0.8Mb)
South West NI188 Workshop, Exeter, 22 April 2010
You can download the presentation slides from here:-
- Climate Change Risk Assessment for Level 2 - Laurie Newton, UKCIP (pdf 0.3Mb)
- Climate East Midlands: A Regional Approach - Mike Peverill and colleagues (pdf 1.3Mb)
- Isles of Scilly Risk Assessment for Flood & Coastal Erosion - David Senior (pdf 0.7Mb)
South West NI188 Workshop, Taunton, 25 January 2010
You can download the 3 presentation slides from here:-
- Assessing the vulnerability of habitat to climate change - Simon Bates, Natural England (pdf 1.1Mb)
- NI188 County Level Key Findings and UKCP09 - Paul Bowyer, UKCIP (pdf 521kb)
- NI188: moving from level 2 to level 3 - Laurie Newton, UKCIP (pdf 187kb)
South West NI188 Workshop, Weston-super-Mare, 5 March 2009
You can download the main presentation slides from here:-
- The Statutory Framework for Adapting to Climate Change - Jonathan Capstick, Defra (pdf 1Mb)
- The LCLIP process - Gerry Metcalf, UKCIP (pdf 573kb)
- (i) The NI188 Self Assessment Toolkit and (ii) Comprehensive Risk Based Assessments - Gerry Metcalf, UKCIP (pdf 218kb)
- Support to Local Authorities from SW RIEP on NI188 - Helen Elliott, SW RIEP (pdf 378kb)
South West NI188 Workshop, Bridgwater, 9 October 2008
You can download the main presentation slides from here:-
- Defra overview - Catherine Duggan, Defra (pdf 1.6Mb)
- Support in the South West - Pete Grigorey, Environment Agency (pdf 0.5Mb)
- Introduction to UKCIP & NI188 Guidance Document, workshop - Gerry Metcalf, UKCIP (pdf 1.2Mb)
- Risk Based Assessment - Laurie Newton, UKCIP (pdf 320kb)
SWCCIP summary of UKCIP LCLIP 2008 Meetings - summary review note (word) of the meetings held at Oxford Said Business School on 3rd January and 8th July 2008.
Climate Change: how can local government adapt? (16 Mar 2006) - Presentations from the workshop held at County Hall, Exeter:
- Climate SouthWest - Sarah Hendel-Blackford's presentation - see Climate SouthWest general slides (power point) for latest version.
- What is adaptation? - Ian Bateman, Devon County Council (pdf 120 kb)
- National approach to adaptation: development of a UK policy framework - Caroline Cowman, Defra (pdf 366 kb)
- Building adaptive capacity - Laurie Newton, UKCIP (pdf 543 kb)
- A climate change strategy for Somerset - Somerset County Council (pdf 953 kb)
SW Launch of the Nottingham Declaration and the Adaptation workshop for local authorities (5 Dec 2006) - Presentations from this event held in Bristol:
- Steve Waller, IDeA (pdf 975kb)
- Case Study: Cllr Paul Crossley, Bath & North East Somerset Council (pdf 450kb)
- Case Study: Andrew Tucker, Greater London Authority (pdf 975kb)
- UKCIP workshop sessions - briefing notes (pdf 2.4Mb)
