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_ HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL _
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_ AGENDA 21 PANEL ITEM _
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_ 30 OCTOBER 1996 _
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_ IMPLEMENTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN _
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_ REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE _
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Contact: Nick Goulder, ext 7382
Summary - Practice what we preach
1. Through the Structure Plan, Waste Management Plan, TPP and other
publications, the County Council is encouraging Hampshire's
people to
avoid waste and recycle
use recycled products
use public transport
park and ride
avoid town centre parking
support their local communities
save energy and water
conserve species and landscapes.
Yet many of the County Council's own day to day operations are
not sufficiently in step with these policies. This report
recommends that the County Council puts its own house (and that
of its contractors) in order as a first priority. At the same
time it is suggested that we review all environmental activity
within the main aim - set out in Charting a Course - of caring
for the environment. This review of County Council
environmental activity will demonstrate how the County Council
through its many services to the public (roads, country parks,
libraries etc) cares for the environment in partnership with
others. The review will be closely linked with work on
implementing the Structure Plan.
Background
2. At the last meeting, the Panel agreed that an "Agenda 21 plan"
should be drawn up containing
* corporate objectives
* departmental action
* corporate action
* management and monitoring arrangements.
The corporate objectives have been agreed. This report deals
with corporate and departmental action. Overall management and
monitoring arrangements are addressed here, but detailed
monitoring needs to be set up and will be the subject of a
series of future reports on different aspects of environmental
management.
Plain English - Environmental Management
3. Members agreed that the plan should be brief and readable.
Jargon such as "Agenda 21" and "bio-diversity" should be
avoided. It is therefore proposed that the term "environmental
management" be used for the first part of our Agenda 21
strategy. This title will relate the Agenda 21 plan more
clearly to "Charting a Course" which states that caring for the
environment is one of the five main aims of the County Council.
It is recommended that the first part of the County Council's
Agenda 21 Plan be called the Environmental Management Plan.
The Environmental Management Plan - Corporate Action
4. Corporate environmental action should start "at home" with all
the County Council's staff acting in compliance with the County
Council's developing standards for
waste management
purchasing and supplies
"green" office management
nature conservation and bio-diversity
transport
energy and water consumption
training and awareness
The Panel has already asked to be kept informed by the Planning
and Transportation Committee of progress with the bio-diversity
action plan.
5. In the case of energy and water consumption the County Council
has made significant progress with the help of a corporate unit
in the County Architect's department. Similarly, expertise on
waste, purchasing, "green" office management, transport and
training needs to be mobilised on a corporate basis.
6. It is proposed that each of the areas listed in 4 be examined in
reports to the Panel over the coming year. All reports will
show performance measures and enable us to develop standards,
for use both in-house and by contractors. Each area is explored
briefly below so that Members can advise on priorities.
Waste Management
7. There is considerable room for improvement in the management of
waste generated by the County Council's own business. The
officers' working group, advised by the County Surveyor, will
propose measures of performance for
waste minimisation
recycling
hazardous, clinical and liquid waste management
waste disposal.
Demonstration projects will be started in schools and other
County Council establishments. Basic information on the amount
of waste and its disposal will be improved. The County Supplies
Officer will advise on improved contracts for collection and
disposal of waste - the aim will be to pay for improved
performance out of better contract prices and reduced volumes of
waste. Contracts for cleaning of offices and other
establishments need to be examined to ensure that targets for
waste minimisation and recycling are being met. The existing
schemes for collection of chemical and clinical waste will be
further promoted.
8. The use of composted municipal waste by the County Council will
be expanded.
Green office management
9. The County Surveyor's department has developed techniques of
office management which ensure the more sustainable use of
resources in office work. The lessons of "green office
management" will be developed for wider application across
offices managed by the County Council. This is a matter of
"culture" - office staff need to be constantly aware of
environmental issues as well as value for money.
Purchasing and Supplies
10. The County Council has adopted environmental purchasing
principles and encouraged the use of "environmentally-friendly"
materials and products. It has banned the use of certain
pesticides and discouraged the use of tropical hardwoods. There
is very little centralised information on this subject. A guide
to "green" purchasing is required, building on the report to the
Contracts Panel 29.2.96. The County Supplies Officer in liaison
with others responsible for bulk purchasing (County Surveyor,
Commercial Services Group etc.) will report on this subject as
an essential input to the Environmental Management Plan.
Nature conservation and bio-diversity
11. The Panel considered a report at the last meeting and a further
report will be prepared when the Hampshire action plan is
prepared.
Transport
12. The report from the Chief Personnel Officer to the last meeting
of the panel set the programme for encouraging the use of public
transport both in commuting to work and in work-related travel.
A future report will deal with
- the extent of private and public transport use by County
Council staff and students on business and training;
- the extent of telephone-conferencing and other
alternatives to travelling;
- the potential for switching from car to public transport
and for reducing travel through the use of new
technology - such as e-mail and video-conferencing.
The use of both public transport and telecoms will need to be
monitored more closely. The aim will be to pay for improved
monitoring and better performance by cost reductions. At
present the County Council spends at least £1 million each year
on rail travel for staff at work. This compares with
£10 million total expenditure on staff travel. The amount spent
on rail travel could:
- increase if staff move from car to rail;
- reduce if we achieve bulk purchase discounts;
- reduce if staff travel less.
These changes are not monitored at present. Information needs
to be generated so that Members' objectives can be implemented.
In negotiating bulk rail discounts it needs to be borne in mind
that the County Council spends part of its pupil and student
travel budget (£12 million) on rail transport.
13. Other factors to explore in this work are:
* one telephone and data network for all local authorities
in Hampshire - this could encourage telephone
conferencing and reduce travel. At the same time it
would improve local government, improve service to the
customer, and would offer opportunities for cost
reductions. The Head of IT Services is exploring this
possibility.
* encouraging more acceptable forms of transport such as
cycle, walking and public transport. The County
Surveyor points out that the next report should look at
new opportunities to provide a choice for staff in
making travel decisions with a view to cutting down the
overall level of car usage.
* bulk purchase of public transport season tickets on
behalf of local government staff to encourage use of
public transport in commuting and to reduce travel costs
for staff.
A separate officers group has been established to report on this
subject as soon as performance targets are identified. This
matter will be raised with the ADC for report to the proposed
joint local authorities Agenda 21 committee.
Energy and Water Consumption
14. The Director of Operations has already reported through the
Building and Grounds Panel on substantial savings in energy and
water consumption. This is one area of environmental management
where the County Council has sufficient information and has
taken a lead across Hampshire. This work will be incorporated
in the Environmental Management Plan.
Training and Awareness
15. Staff awareness and training on environmental matters is not
measured at present but is likely to be quite low. Internal
communications - to ensure staff are aware of our policies and
Members' priorities - will be reviewed. The possibility of a
staff suggestion scheme and using HANTSNEWS, HANTSNET, etc. to
improve awareness will be considered. Training in environmental
management has already started jointly with the districts. Ways
to develop training and awareness programmes will be considered
following the initial awareness campaign which will focus on
commuting.
The overall approach to environmental management
16. Subject to Members' views these areas for improvement will now
be tackled - using all departments as appropriate - with a view
to making proposals for environmental management and monitoring
in each area listed above. Together these studies will lead
towards an integrated environmental management system for the
County Council's own business, incorporating:
- a code of environmental management for all staff and
contractors
- performance measures and targets.
When progress has been made in this limited and pragmatic way,
members will once again be able to consider moving towards EMAS
accreditation.
The impact of the County Council on the environment of Hampshire
17. A second priority for the officers group will be to review the
environmental work of all committees to see how it can be
combined to improve the environment of Hampshire in partnership
with others in local authorities, health commissions, the
business sector, voluntary and community groups. This wider
review will cover the many ways in which the County Council
impacts on the environment of Hampshire:
transport
waste management
planning
countryside management
coastal conservation
air quality management
trading standards (overweight vehicles etc)
grants for environmental activity
information on the environment, eg through libraries and
environment centres
public awareness programmes, eg Headstart
encouraging environmental business
"green tourism"
etc.
The review will make use of existing County Council publications
on the environment. This review will contribute to the
discussion about Agenda 21 in district policy forums and in the
proposed Hampshire county/district Members' Agenda 21 group. It
will enable the County Council to decide on its role and play
its part in the wider Agenda 21 activity across Hampshire. It
will also tie in closely with corporate implementation of the
Structure Plan.
The environmental management plan - departmental action
18. In agreeing the environmental policy objectives at the last
meeting, members recognised that all departments must implement
them. Departments were asked to nominate an individual or
"green team" as a focus for action and to maintain momentum.
When performance measures are available it will be possible for
members to compare performance as between departments and
groupings of departments.
RECOMMENDATIONS
19. It is recommended that:
1. The first part of the County Council's Agenda 21 Plan be
named the Environmental Management Plan so that it plainly
derives from the County Council's aims set out in Charting
a Course.
2. A series of reports be brought to the Panel on the County
Council's internal management of
waste
purchasing and supplies
"green" office management
nature conservation and bio-diversity
transport and travel to work
energy and water consumption
staff training and awareness
as inputs to the Environmental Management Plan.
3. A wider review of the County Council's environmental work
be undertaken as set out in paragraph 17.
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