SustainabilityLINKS

Helpful Lobbying Tools

SustainabilityLINKS

Page Aim

The page will provide print outs and other materials to aid and inspire local participation work.

Page Contents

Promote global sustainability and participation through local strategies and partnerships:

Local Government Act 2000 and Dummy Letter

Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Dummy Letter

Network with others trying to promote sustainability concerns through locality working.

What do you think about SustainabilityLINKS?

Page Updates

The Helpful Local Lobbying Tools page content will be occasionally reviewed to include new aids.

“In order to most effectively use the tools, freedoms and flexibilities available to local authorities for delivering sustainable development, sufficient guidance and support mechanisms need to be in place. These would ensure local professionals and communities themselves have the capacity to move from a ‘business as usual’ approach to new creative ways of involving the community and meeting local needs in a way that delivers sustainable development. The Egan Review emphasised the importance of having the right skills and knowledge at the local level to deliver sustainable communities. The capacity of individuals and organisations to understand and implement sustainable development is therefore critical to success. The provision of guidance, dissemination of best practice, use of well developed appraisal techniques and the development of skills and knowledge is crucial here.”

Taking It On; Developing

Sustainable Development Strategy Together

Defra 2004

Promoting Sustainability & Participation Through Strategies & Partnerships

In Britain the Local Government Act 2000 required local authorities to prepare Community Strategies.

One of the main reasons for this was to facilitate more sustainable development patterns, whose goals and priorities are shaped by both local and wider regional, national and global sustainability concerns.

One of the means of achieving the necessary perspectives was a requirement that Strategies outline a long term vision for their area. To produce these Strategies the Act suggested local authorities establish community participation processes.

“The Government wants to see sustainable development become a mainstream issue for local authorities, their partners and communities. We believe the most effective way to achieve this is to subsume Local Agenda 21 strategies within Community Strategies.”

Strong Local Leadership; Quality Public Services, paragraph 4.22

DETR White Paper

Local Strategic Partnerships, and their associated processes, were set up to help produce Community Strategies. The focus of LSP work and Strategy content has become local public service delivery but their establishment also addresses two other needs:

Such community partnership and participation can be cited as a means of tackling democratic deficit and accountability concerns, where local political parties have gained powers disproportionate to the number of people voting for them.

As LSPs and Sustainable Community Strategies were based on the sustainability and participation imperative of Agenda 21 they should recognise the value of consensual processes in dealing with our increasingly unsustainable way of life. Rather than being imposed top-down, by increasingly autocratic government, difficult but necessary change must be driven by communities made aware of the consequences of continued inaction.

“…real sustainable change will not be achieved unless local people are in the driving seat”

Our Towns and Cities, page 32

DTER

Dummy Letter

Dear LSP Chair

Access to LSP Papers

The introduction of LSPs and associated processes by the Local Government Act 2000 was intended to promote more active citizenship through increasing participation opportunities.

Unfortunately I can find no published details of any decisions taken at the area's LSP board meetings.

The recent raft of statutory provisions for broader community involvement in decision and provision making has been to aid transparency and accountability. It follows that, like Council papers (which have always been public), information about LSP work should be readily accessible.

Perhaps I have not been searching in the right places? I look forward to receiving your reply.

Thank you for your help with this.

Yours sincerely

Right to Know

Making Information Requests Under Right to Know Legislation

Since 1 January 2005 people have had increased access rights to public authority information.

This has far-reaching advantages for anyone involved in public interest concerns. For example, neighbours wanting details about a landfill site or regeneration proposals entailing the destruction of homes can now gain access to related data. This right ranges across a variety of materials, including decision-making reports, economic analyses, telephone recordings, minutes, correspondence, research, emails, etc.

Access to general information is governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with additional rights being given to those requiring environmental information through the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, which applies not only to public authorities but also private companies such as airport operators and public utilities.

There is also a series of relevant EU directives as a result of the UN’s 1998 Aarhus Convention.

Further information

www.cfoi.org.uk/foiact2000.html - Copy of Freedom of InformationAct

www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/envinfo/annexc.pdf - Draft Environmental Information Regulations

www.foi.gov.uk - Government information

www.cfoi.org.uk - Campaign for Freedom of Information

www.foi.gov.uk/understand.htm - Code of Practice

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk - Information Commissioner

Dummy Letter

Dear LSP Chair

Our LSP and Local Procurement

I am one of several members of the New Economics Foundation who live and work across the area. We have recently come together to consider various relevant local issues’ including the ways in which local public service procurement could better support our local economy.

Of course, we understand that not all goods and services can be provided from within the sub-region, but there are many that could be but aren’t. It follows that where no local supplier can be found, then local public procurement policy should be to favour those based as close to the sub-region as possible as this will serve to strengthen the direct relationship between the proximity of areas and the mutually beneficial flow of money between them.

I realise that the LSP does not have to make regular purchasing decisions, but there may already have been times when you have organised one-off Partnership activities, such as conferences or public profile-raising events. Any such occasions can require a range of purchases such as printing, refreshments, foods, marquee and stall hire, entertainments

Our local Community Economics Group intends to actively encourage future LSP procurement to favour local suppliers on any future occasions when you seek goods or services. In the meantime, please could you let me know if our LSP has previously organised any activities and whether these gave priority to locally sourced items.

I am requesting this information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, as outsourcing has transportation / environmental implications, also under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. I would also refer you to the related series of directives on information access, public participation, decision making and environmental justice currently aligning EU law with the 1998 UN Aarhus Convention.

I am sure you know that requests made under the Act and Regulations have to be met within 20 working days. I believe that Partnership members will agree that not only would the use of localised sources serve to benefit the local economy in its own small way, but that their discussion of procurement policy issues may itself serve to influence Partner organisations’ own procurement patterns and come to benefit this area.

Thank you for any assistance you give with this matter.

Yours sincerely

Participation Log

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Supporter Networking

Get additional help from others promoting sustainability through local participation opportunities.

There are now many people formally involved in local participation opportunites such as LSPs, Sustainable Community Strategies and Citizens Forums. This is a chance for all those who consider global sustainability should be a priority in local policy, decision and provision making work to link up.

Please send SustainabilityLINKS your details.

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Address ...…………………………………………………...................................... ……...........................

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email and / or phone …………..………..…………………………………………….................................

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Nature of active participation in local processes

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Delete as applicable

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What do you think about SustainabilityLINKS?

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Please send SustainabilityLINKS your details.

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Please give details of any position you have / have had in any organisations working on sustainability, community or education programmes. It would also be helpful if you could give the titles of any books you've written, etc.

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