Contact: Bob Lisney, ext 6647

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That approval be given to the County Council's Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative Business Plan (attached an as appendix).

2. Reason

2.1 There has been substantial support for the concept of the Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative (HNRI) and an encouragement to develop a multi-sector network that would make a real difference to the use of natural resources in Hampshire.

2.2 Most of the driving force for sustainability has come from the environment side but since the development of the Cabinet political model, sustainability is rightly emerging across all key areas.

2.3 The County Council has two roles to play in this area:

(i) to influence, lead and facilitate action and outcomes with others for the Hampshire community; and

(ii) to ensure that its own activities fulfil sustainable principles.

2.4 The Business Plan sets out how Hampshire County Council seeks to deliver these two key roles through 10 objectives.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Not to approve the County Council's Natural Resources Initiative Business Plan.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: ...................................... Date:....................................

Councillor T K Thornber

Contact: Bob Lisney, ext 6447

1. Summary

1.1 There has been substantial support for the concept of the Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative (HNRI) and encouragement to develop a multi-sector network that would make a real difference to the use of natural resources in Hampshire.

1.2 The Business Plan sets out how Hampshire County Council seeks to deliver two key roles through ten objectives: five relating directly to the five aims of the community-led HNRI vision. The other five are vital to allow the delivery of the community vision.

2. Background

2.1 In 1989, in response to the unsustainable activities of global society, the Bruntland Commission developed the definition of sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". This prompted world-wide debate to determine appropriate responses to the global issues of poverty, health, financial inequity and the sustainable use of natural resources.

2.2 In 1991 the world Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro to agree on actions for each country to implement. The concept of `Thinking Globally, Acting Locally' was promoted as the way to encourage small local actions that would aggregate to the scale of change needed to make a global difference. Many of the principles were embedded in the `Agenda for the 21st Century', known as Local Agenda 21 (LA21), which put forward a substantial leadership role for local authorities.

2.3 Since 1997 the European Union (EU) has developed many directives aimed at influencing actions in member states by the promotion of targets, legislation and fiscal measures to create change. These directives have been turned into UK law and the UK Government has developed for all its service aims a `golden thread' of Sustainable Development. Thus, policies for Education, Care, Crime, Transport, Energy, etc are all interlinked by the thread of sustainability in order to ensure that the three key areas of social, economic and environment development are equally considered.

2.4 In the UK this was evidenced by the development of LA21 plans for each authority. A great deal of knowledge was gained but, in reality, very little real action was undertaken. The LA21 issue was essentially seen as an adjunct to the role of local authorities rather than the driving principle to influence all service developments.

2.5 In the last few years the emergence of the Community Planning system has given the leadership role of local authorities with regard to sustainable communities a boost. Local community strategies are intended to be developed by community representatives, especially those with the ability to use their resources for different effect. Such strategies will be the sustainability plan for the future and will include detailed action plans and intended outcomes. In this respect it is a much more integrated approach than LA21.

2.6 About the same time that the community strategy process was being developed, the EU commission was developing its plans for the 6th Environmental Action Programme. This would focus on specific environmental aspects of sustainability, ones which are particularly challenging for the northern hemisphere to deal with, namely the use of natural resources and the impact of consumption patterns for the future.

2.7 In the run up to the second Earth Summit in 2002 this agenda became very prevalent in global debates and the summit debated the three themes of Health (AIDS especially), Poverty and Consumption (especially related to the inequitable use of natural resources).

2.8 Since the first Earth Summit the County Council has pursued a variety of successful programmes for considering specific aspects of natural resource use, eg policy networks for water, climate change, energy, domestic waste, biodiversity and transport.

2.9 The issue of consumption was a particular focus. In 1998, in an attempt to seek some expert advice, a major international conference was held in the county called `Down to Earth', where many of the major leaders in sustainable development addressed Hampshire's community. These public debates on domestic waste and its growth shared views on the level of local action and personal response that was necessary for change.

2.10 The outcome was an appreciation that, to make a step change in what is done, a more holistic view of societal issues was needed and a requirement to work through broader partnerships. These outcomes meshed very well with the Government's guidelines for the community planning process and a new network was formed specifically to discuss the issue of consumption and waste.

2.11 Very quickly the debate broadened into the use of all natural resources - energy, soil, water and materials. A draft vision was developed that future plans should be influenced by a general consideration of the appropriate consumption of natural resources, with principles of minimisation, using renewable material and technological innovation.

2.12 In late 2001 a follow up to the `Down to Earth' conference was held, this time focusing very locally and using the developed networks, including business, public sector and community groups, to debate the particular change needed for Hampshire.

2.13 Three themes were chosen to fit into current debates - sustainable transport, sustainable communities and the sustainable use of natural resources. In respect of the third debate there was substantial support for the concept of a Hampshire NRI and encouragement to develop a multi-sector network that would make a real difference

2.14 Within the County Council the corporate strategy was being reviewed and an internal sustainable development strategy was also produced (see Appendix 1 of Business Plan). Most of the driving force for sustainability has come from the environment side but, since the development of the Cabinet political model, sustainability is rightly emerging across all key areas.

2.15 The Council has two roles to play in this area:

(i) to influence, lead and facilitate action and outcomes with others for the Hampshire community; and

(ii) to ensure that its own activities fulfil sustainable principles.

2.16 With regard to the first role, a long-term (up to 2050) view has to be taken to ensure that development which is currently being implemented has no detrimental effects for the future.

2.17 With regard to the second role, the County Council's own activities have long-term impacts on the built landscape, and annual material resource use, especially in respect of consumer goods, water and energy. It is imperative that the County Council's own activities match the agenda it is leading on externally. In this respect it could well be seen as a significant change process that will be evidenced by different approaches to policy development, staff development, fiscal management and operational service delivery.

3. Developing the Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative

3.1 The Hampshire NRI has been developed through an 18 month engagement programme with key stakeholders. This community programme produced an aspirational vision that within 10 years Hampshire should be acclaimed for the efficient and effective use of natural resources (see Appendix 2 of Business Plan). This community programme is now steered through the NRI Advisory Group which has representatives from a range of 13 organisations drawn from the business, community and public sectors. Six members of the Advisory Group are also trustees of the Hampshire Natural Resources Trust, a `not for profit' company set up to secure external funding not directly available to the private and public sectors.

3.2 Hampshire County Council is one of a number of lead partners on the Advisory Group. However in the community context, whilst it is supportive of the NRI, it is important to note that the County Council does not `own' the programme, nor does it have control over the scope and objectives, although it can clearly seek to influence these issues.

3.3 Fundamentally, the NRI is a change management process which focuses on improving performance in dealing with waste by changing the emphasis from waste management to resource management in both the wider community and internally within the County Council. Whilst NRI is a topic-related initiative (in the same way as initiatives on water, renewable energy, biodiversity and soil) it is also a pilot for a different generic way of working to achieve sustainability objectives, albeit initially in the waste/ resource management area. It aims to work across networks and boundaries to ensure that businesses and charities, community groups and local authorities work together to achieve more sustainable natural resource use.

3.4 As an example, the emerging community strategies are an important means of raising NRI as an opportunity to provide solutions to community concerns. The NRI Advisory Group is on track to achieve its objective of having the NRI recognised in 50% of local community strategies at the first iteration.

3.5 Internally the County Council has direct control over a wide range of services and activities which link with the NRI at a range of levels, through the Corporate Sustainable Development Strategy. This document provides the framework for ensuring the County Council undertakes its own activities in a sustainable way, for example using its purchasing power and service delivery to "practice what we preach" in terms of areas such as green purchasing, waste minimisation, recycling and recovery. This forms one part of the overall NRI aspirational vision.

3.6 The County Council Business Plan for the NRI therefore focuses upon what the County Council can do to contribute towards its responsibilities for achieving a sustainable approach to the management and development of resources. It focuses upon the short-term to ensure that the necessary structures, awareness levels and networks are in place, whilst ensuring that the building blocks for the medium-term objectives are laid (achievements so far are set out in Appendix 4 of Business Plan).

3.7 There are 10 objectives which outline the main priorities for NRI (section 6, page 18 of Business Plan). The first five relate directly to the community-led aims for the HNRI vision. The second five will allow the delivery of these aims.

3.8 Set out in section 7 of the Business Plan is the projected NRI budget in terms of expenditure and finance for the years 2003/04 and 2004/05, which will allow the delivery of the business plan.

Recommendation

That approval be given to the County Council's Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative Business Plan (attached as an appendix).

7979/RPL