Contextual links/materials and notes on the meeting of the
LIAISON WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT GROUP held at Brighton Eco Centre on Monday, 7th January 2008 (attended by Jacqui, John, Maureen, Rachel, Ted and Vicky).
These notes include reference to discussion of some of the same items at the meeting of The Council's Sustainability Commission (attended by Vicky, Ted & Joyce) on Wednesday, 9th January 2008, which provided further updates.
Date of next meeting: 7 pm Tuesday 22nd January 2008 at The George, Trafalgar Street
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(1) Introductions
(2) Report on Brighton & Hove Climate Change Strategy Stakeholder Day
background to the above event, attended by John, Maureen and Vicky
Having looked at the City Council's Climate Change Action Plan during a themed discussion on Climate Change held on 31st May 2007, a sub-group of The 2020 Community Partnership (also known as The LSP Local Strategic Partnership) decided that it would be good to develop a Climate Change Strategy which would be 'owned' by the 2020 Community Partnership - and therefore the wider community. The group decided that for the strategy to be truly owned by the 2020 CP its development would have to involve a high level of consultation with local experts and interest groups from the outset. Hence the decision to hold Brighton & Hove Climate Change Strategy Stakeholder Day on 19th November 2007.
Note that The Environment Council has produced a 13-page PDF report on the day.
Brighton and Hove City Council, acting behalf of the LSP, contacted The Environment Council (a registered charity of 40 years standing, with considerable experience of training, facilitation and providing a forum for dialogue) to help in the design and facilitation of the meeting in an attempt to get the best outputs from the day and to shape a way forward for the LSP’s Climate Change work. A cross section of stakeholders met at the University of Sussex on 19th November 2007 to consider and comment on the Council’s Climate Change Strategy.
Three members of TB&H’s “Liaison with Local Gov’t Group” (John, Maureen & Vic) were present at the Stakeholder Day. The first talk by John Chesshire, focused on the necessity for a statutory duty on LAs to address climate change, in the light of the IPCC Report findings. The second talk, by Heather Buttivant, addressed the expected effects of climate change impacts on the South East area of the UK in coming years. The third talk, by Thurstan Crockett was an honest assessment of current work going on in Brighton & Hove i.e. the current Climate Change Strategy.
Our comments on the Report
Maureen thought that the three talks were excellent. She felt that the third talk was an acknowledgement by the Council that more needed to be done i.e. The Council’s Sustainability Team should be receptive to requests for efforts to be increased. Ted liked the lists of ‘Visions’ (page 4 of the Report) identified by the participants, gaps which needed to be filled to allow these visions to be fulfilled by 2050, and the League Tables of key strategic areas (that B & H would most benefit from) to maximize carbon reduction before 2050. (1) Housing (2) Resource Efficiency & Reduction, and (3) Integrated Transport, were clearly the top three areas.
3. (a) Council Strategies: The Sustainability Strategy = 12 key areas VERSUS
(b) The Local Strategic or 2020 Partnership = 8 priority areas
3(a) Council Strategies
Ted offered to try to clarify overlapping structures in this write-up of our Minutes.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Sustainability Strategy provides a framework for improving the environment and the quality of life of the residents of Brighton & Hove. It sets out the council's commitment to take action for a more sustainable future. For the period 2004 to 2006, 12 plans of action were envisaged. 10 of them were written up as PDF documents built around the following 12 key objectives:
1. access to basic elements of life
2. air quality [PDF 187kb]
3. culture, recreation and leisure
4. community safety [PDF 263kb]
5. economy and work [PDF 129kb]
6. education [PDF 168kb]
7. energy use [PDF 143kb]
8. housing [PDF 402kb]
9. land use [PDF 560k]
10. natural environment [PDF 190kb]
11. transport [PDF 119kb]
12. waste [PDF 142kb]
How do the 8 priority areas identified by the 2020 Community (or Local Strategic) Partnership differ from the 12 key areas in the Council’s Sustainability Strategy?
Not all that much, since both sets of areas target sustainability. The important point is that The Local Strategic Partnership contains more bodies than just Brighton and Hove City Council (which is responsible for The Sustainability Strategy). See the list of all the partners in The Local Strategic or 2020 Partnership.
The Council’s Sustainability Strategy (28-page PDF)
The Council intends to update this within the next 18 months, and it is expected (subject to agreement) that this will be done by One Planet Living. The necessary update will involve public consultation.
We dwelt for a little longer on The Council’s Sustainability Strategy under item 3 of our Agenda, since it is due for substantial updating. The current Sustainability Strategy dates from 2002 (i.e the year of the “Rio +10 Earth Summit in Johannesburg”)
Vicky disclosed that there had been a series of 2-year “Action Plans” since 2002, but now in 2008 it is felt that The Council’s Sustainability Strategy should be refreshed.
Developing a One Planet Living Plan for Brighton & Hove
The updating was an item on the Agenda of The Sustainability Commission’s Meeting at 5pm on Wednesday 9th January 2008 at Brighton Town Hall (which Vicky and Ted attended). A representative from One Planet Living was also there and promised that they would involve locally-based consultants if they are given the go-ahead. No agreement will be given until at least 6th March 2008, so the refreshed Sustainability Strategy will not be launched until well into 2009. Vicky asked who would own the new Sustainability Strategy i.e. the Council or the LSP? The representative from One Planet Living implied that it would belong to "the city of Brighton and Hove". It appeared from what was then said that The Council would need to own the Sustainability Strategy, but The Local Strategic Partnership would own the Climate Change Strategy referred to in item (1) of our Liaison Group's AGENDA, which they are clearly interested in doing. The Council is obliged to have a Sustainability Strategy, and Climate Change is one part of this.
During our Liaison Group Meeting, Vicky projected that Pooran Desai, One Planet Living’s Technical Director and Co-Founder of BioRegional, would be responsible for ensuring that the updated Sustainability Strategy (suggested by One Planet Living for the city of Brighton and Hove) is put out for public consultation. The timetable, which we now know cannot begin until 6th March at the earliest, and is subject to One Planet Living being given the go-ahead (a prospect which appeared likely) would probably be spread over one year:
· Collecting planning data (3 months)
· Workshop with local stakeholders (6 months)
· Report (2 months)
· Launch (1 months)
Vicky and John also mentioned that The UK branch of One Planet Living have a second a presence in Brighton and Hove, through a separate wing of the organisation known as BioRegional Quintain , responsible for delivering communities in England. BioRegional’s first project in our city is expected to be a development of flats close to the railway station in Brighton. The development will meet the EcoHomes Excellent standard and a Sustainability Action Plan has been drawn up to demonstrate the project's response to each of the One Planet Living Principles: Zero Carbon, Zero Waste, Sustainable Transport, Local and Sustainable Materials, Local and Sustainable Food, Sustainable Water, Natural Habitats and Wildlife, Culture and Heritage, Equity and Fair Trade and, Health and Happiness.
The same ten principles are likely to be used in updating The Council’s Sustainability Strategy for the city of Brighton and Hove.
3(b). Local Strategic Partnership / 2020 Community strategies
We had on the back of our Agenda a list of the 8 Priority Areas agreed by the partners. Note that the LSP consists of more organisations than just the Council, so although these ‘Priority Areas’ overlap in substance with the 12 key areas which define the Council’s own Action Plans and Sustainability Strategy, they have been agreed by a larger number of interest groups.
John observed that the 8 areas (listed below) are likely to coincide with objectives of some of Transition Interest Groups. We all had a go at guessing shared agendas, but decided that this was an exercise for the Transition Interest Groups themselves.
I re-produce the 2020 Partnership’s 8 Priority Areas (below) since TIGs may find it productive to do the matching exercise. Council funding for TIG initiatives is more likely to be forthcoming, if the Group objectives correspond with the areas of priority agreed by members of the city’s 2020 Partnership.
2020 Community (Local Strategic) Partnership – 8 Priority Areas
1. Promoting enterprise & learning
Employment & economic development, Major projects, Learning & Education, Childrens Services, Arts & Creative Industries, Libraries & Museums, Culture & Tourism, Indicators & targets
2. Reducing crime & improving safety
Crime & fear of crime, Alcohol, Children & Young People, Local Issues, Prolific Offenders, Indicators & targets
3. Improving health & well-being
A Healthy City, Suicide, Lifestyle Factors, Healthy Ageing, Indicators & targets
4. Strengthening communities & involving people
Engaging young people, Tackling discrimination, Building community spirit, good relations & celebrating diversity, Getting people involved, Tackling poverty, How people can control their circumstances, Indicators & targets
5. Improving housing and affordability
Housing, Homelessness, Fuel Poverty, Indicators & targets
6. Promoting resource efficiency & enhancing the environment
Water & Sewage, Climate change, Waste & Recycling, Built Environment, Biodiversity & the natural environment, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Indicators & targets
7. Promoting sustainable transport
Reduced traffic congestion in central Brighton, Reduced traffic fumes & better air quality, More bus priority measures, More real-time bus information, Better transport links, Promoting the health benefits of walking & cycling, Improving the safety, security and attractiveness of streets, Provision of a Rapid Transport System, Indicators & targets
8. Providing quality services
Providing quality services, Indicators & targets
(4). Establish working protocol for our group, mission statement or vision
Our discussion embraced the following areas:
(a) Knowledge – to make ourselves aware of:
· Council Strategies (The progress of the Council’s Sustainability Strategy – soon to be updated (note the Key areas)
· the work of the Council’s Sustainability Commission,
· the areas of expertise among Council Officers in their Sustainability Team) e.g. Warm Homes (Housing Sustainability Project Manager); Sustainable Transport
· Council-led initiatives involving other B & H groups with interests in Sustainability, especially the 2020 Community (Local Strategic) Partnership (its 8 priority areas), the “One Brighton” partnership at New England Quarter, and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership.
· Council Planning Policies relevant to Climate Change and Peak Oil (Sustainability Appraisals - These documents (some will be up for public consultation) will form an important part in the Council's Local Development Framework, which is being phased in to replace The Brighton and Hove Local Plan. Certain adopted and emerging Supplementary Planning Documents are also relevant to TB&H e.g. the proposed SPD on Sustainable Building Design on which Transition Brighton & Hove commented.
(b) Information – to assist TB&H in maximizing its impact through involvement with Local Government and Council-led initiatives where the activities, strategies and policies are relevant to TB&H’s aims RE Climate Change, oil dependency, local resilience etc. Our Liaison Group, which is also represented within TB&H’s hub (of which Maureen and John are members) can impart this information through the main Transition web site and forum. We may also be able to offer briefings (i.e. to Transition Interest &/or Neighbourhood Groups, when this information is required. Face-to-face contact with these Groups can be achieved either via General Transition Meetings or by attending these Groups own meetings. We hope to gather expertise related to TB&H’s objectives on “Who’s Who?” in Local Government, what’s going on, which are the most productive/influential forums, likely areas of funding, and how decisions come to be made.
(c) Planning policies (i.e. related to reduction of energy use) – every resident in Brighton and Hove, both as individuals and as members of Groups, has the right to take part in consultations. We will attempt to make the hub, Interest and Neighbourhood Groups aware of relevant consultation documents.
We could also encourage the Groups to monitor large planning applications (e.g. The Brighton Marina proposal), which impact considerably on energy-use in Brighton and Hove. It is also worthwhile for Neighbourhood Groups to monitor what is happening in their areas. The accumulative effect of smaller planning proposals involving the loss of greenfield sites could strip our city of open spaces on private land, so if we intend in the future to grow more food locally, there will not remain much space for doing so within our urban environment. Developers are permitted to lump entirely separate freeholds together in single planning applications, concealing the involvement of the city's greenbelt in some of the planning proposals. The Council's own planning policies (QD28 of The Local Plan: Planning Obligations RE Greenfield Development) are not being consistently applied. Unless the Council is ready to identify planning proposals (however small) involving greenfield sites, their tighter sustainability requirements for greenfield development are not worth the paper they are written on. Little by little, the city's green spaces will disappear, together with the trees and wildlife habitats which are often destroyed well before any permission for residential development is granted, in bully-boy attempts to portray attractive greenfield sites as potential building-sites: a strategy used to argue that "there is nothing of any conservation interest to local residents".
Our Liaison Group cannot get involved in detailed monitoring, though we can advise on how to use The Council’s online Planning Register to see what is being proposed for the streets in each Neighbourhood (submitting nearby streets in the “Street Name” field in the Planning Register will yield a list of current and past planning applications, allowing individuals or Groups to monitor the proposals for themselves. We could also advise on how to take part in formal consultation periods and how best to use the local planning system to get unsuitable proposals refused. We mentioned how proposals for supermarkets (in areas where they were not needed) could make it more difficult for smaller food co-operatives to set up or survive. This links up with the Transition Business & Economics Group’s support for existing small and green businesses, which they see as playing an important role in community building, offering business with integrity. By influencing the outcome of planning proposals, Neighbourhood Group members can help to nurture an economy in which green business can thrive.
(d) Monitoring the Press and Media – John told us that Sarah Lewis (Editor of Rocks Magazine) was willing to give a workshop on using the Press and Media. She would also give us access to the Rocks Magazine Blog
(e) Reporting and Accountability – without burdening the Hub too much, we seek a good collaborative arrangement to ensure that all we do is relevant to and compatible with Transition Brighton & Hove’s core purpose. Our main purpose is to disseminate information, so good callaborative relations are also needed with Transition Interest and Neighbourhood Groups, which can also give us feedback on the usefulness of what we are offering them. We can also give updates to general Transition meetings.
(5). update - Patcham Farm
Both Vicky and Ted googled this to look for information but not much was there.
This site, consisting of mainly derelict farm buildings and some allotments, had been considered for Park & Ride. Both John and Ted expressed reservations about making it easy to drive (even this far) into Brighton, though the proposal for Park & Ride on this site appears to have been dropped. It appears that the site may have been sold &/or put out to tender. Ted reported that “The Patcham Farm Scheme” was discussed briefly on Monday 17th December 2007 by members of TB&H’s Buildings & Construction Group meeting. No more about the site was recorded in their Group meeting notes, except that Nicola Thomas was to investigate and report back.
(6). update - Eco Show Houses – Maureen
Maureen pointed out the similarity in the objective of having an Eco Show House and the Brighton & Hove Warm-Homes initiative, launched on Tuesday, 8th January 2008 by Graham Osborne, the Council’s Housing Sustainability Project Manager. There may still be added value in having a transportable exhibition house, as well as learning more about The Green Homes free Advice and Internet Service recently set up in London under the auspices of the Energy Saving Trust and Ken Livingstone.
(7). update - Charles Secrett talk - Jacqui
This proposed talk, if Charles Secrett, former head of FOE and adviser to Ken Livingstone, is willing to give it, would be integrated within the Talks Programme which John is co-ordinating in conjunction with The Sussex University-based project.
Charles Secrett is yet to respond.
Date of next meeting: 7 pm Tuesday 22nd January 2008 at The George, Trafalgar Street
