Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee 10 April 2006 Sustainability - Aalborg Commitments Baseline Review Report of the Director of Environment

Item 8

Contact: Mike Bridgeman, ext 5832 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 A major milestone has been reached with the completion of the County Council's draft baseline review under the Aalborg Commitments. This report outlines the background, how the review was developed and assessed, some conclusions, and the next steps. The work has been approved by the Corporate Sustainable Development Steering Group, and is now being put for consideration before the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee prior to a wider report going to Cabinet on 26 June 2006.

2. Corporate Strategy

2.1 The Aalborg Commitments relate to all areas of the County Council's business, and support all aims of the Corporate Strategy.

3. Draft Baseline Review

Background

3.1 The Aalborg Commitments provide a framework for local authorities to embed sustainability throughout all areas of their work. The County Council signed up to the Commitments when they were launched in June 2004, replacing the 12-themed Corporate Sustainable Development Strategy in the process. To date 311 local authorities across 28 European countries have signed up to the Aalborg Commitments. These include Surrey and Essex County Councils and Southampton City Council.

3.2 Upon signing up to Aalborg, authorities have to prepare a baseline review to measure current performance against each of the 50 individual Commitments, which fit under ten themes. This is then used to prioritise and set targets to continually improve performance.

Development

3.3 There is no detailed template for how to prepare an Aalborg baseline review. The County Council has developed a comprehensive approach to both data collection and subsequent assessment of its performance which makes maximum use of existing data (eg Best Value Performance Indicators) and builds value on current reporting mechanisms which vary widely in coverage and approach.

3.4 It is estimated that the baseline review has involved about 0.3 full time equivalent staff in the Environment Department, which is leading the work. Because it makes use of existing data streams, the additional work in other Departments is negligible. However, it pulls together what is currently unrelated performance information, ranging from the highly formal and prescribed format of the Corporate Performance Plan to informal qualitative impact assessments of service users. By giving an relatively easily understandable overall picture of the County Council's achievements, it can add value to these data streams.

3.5 The outputs from the data collection process were whittled down to about 250 pieces of `evidence' of the County Council's sustainability performance. All but one of the 50 Commitments had at least one piece of evidence recorded against it, most had two or more. The types of evidence vary (and have been recorded as such) from strategic work to best practice case studies, and direct responsibility to working in partnership.

3.6 The full evidence list is substantial, and therefore not provided for consideration at this meeting. It is available on request.

Assessment

3.7 To assess how well the County Council is performing against the Commitments, the following Comprehensive Performance Assessment-style scoring scale has been devised:

4 - Comprehensive evidence that Commitment is being achieved.

3 - Strong evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment.

2 - Some evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment.

1 - Limited evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment.

0 - No evidence of any progress towards achieving the Commitment.

3.8 A working group considered all the evidence and undertook a self-assessment exercise to score each of the 50 Commitments between 0-4. This applied a weighting to different types of evidence. The individual scores have been averaged to give a score for each of the 10 Aalborg themes, and to calculate an overall `sustainability' score against the full set of Commitments. An overview of the results is set out in the attached appendix.

3.9 The methodology is simple to apply, and consensus on each individual score was reached by the working group with relative ease. This pragmatic methodology was developed over recent months, and is designed to avoid getting drowned in data and to ensure the results feed into clear targets and actions. It takes into account guidance from the Corporate Performance Team, and chimes with the principles of the EFQM model (an organisational framework based on the principle of self-assessment) already used within the County Council.

Conclusions

3.10 The assessment indicates that while evidence can be demonstrated of at least some work in all but one of the Commitments, performance varies considerably. From this first assessment, the following spread of scores were obtained:

· Comprehensive evidence (score of 4) - 1 Commitment

· Strong evidence (3) - 16 Commitments

· Some evidence (2) - 22 Commitments

· Limited evidence (1) - 10 Commitments

· No evidence (0) - 1 Commitment.

3.11 The County Council has an overall score of 2.12. With a maximum score of 4, this could alternatively be represented as a 53% rating. This indicates an acceptable corporate sustainability performance, punctuated by areas of excellence but with room for incremental year-on-year improvement.

3.12 The County Council now has what it needs from stage one, a draft baseline position against a far broader definition of sustainability than it previously had, and from which it can begin the fundamental process of setting, monitoring and reviewing appropriate targets.

4. Next Steps

4.1 The full evidence base has just completed a consultation with over 70 officers who have been involved to date, to check for any amendments and additions to the evidence, and to get feedback on the scores allocated. Following analysis of feedback from this three-week consultation, it is possible that scores to some of the Commitments may be slightly changed. One area it has identified as needing further work is in the interpretation of the wording of the Commitments in terms of the County Council's powers and competencies. This is currently being followed up.

4.2 Once there is internal agreement, the assessment should be ratified externally. Investigations are underway to see whether the Audit Commission has the skills and capacity to undertake this on a consultancy basis.

4.3 When the Baseline Review is finally agreed, the County Council will be in a strong position to prioritise and set targets, as required following its signing up to Aalborg. There is some urgency to get this completed in time for the 2005/06 Annual Sustainability Report which is due to go to Cabinet on 26 June 2006. This will also meet the deadline set by Aalborg, ie for authorities to have a baseline review completed and targets in place two years after signing.

5. Impact Assessments

5.1 Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in this response but no adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

Recommendation

That the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee considers:

(i) the Comprehensive Performance Assessment-style score derived for the Baseline Review; and

(ii) whether there are priorities for improvement in the scores which should be recommended to Cabinet. .

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers
The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.
NB the list excludes:
1.	Published works.
2.	Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE	LOCATION
Baseline Review Results	Appendix

891/MB

APPENDIX

Aalborg Commitments - Hampshire County Council Baseline Review Results

Scoring Criteria
	4	Comprehensive evidence that Commitment is being achieved
	3	Strong evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment.
	2	Some evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment.
	1	Limited evidence of progress towards achieving the Commitment
	0	No evidence at all of any progress towards achieving the Commitment.
											Commitment Score	Theme Score
1. Governance
We are committed to energising our decision-making processes through increased participatory democracy
1.Further develop a commonly shared long-term vision for a sustainable county											2
2. Build participation and sustainable development capacity in the local community and municipal administration											2
3. Invite all sectors of local society to participate effectively in decision-making											3
4. Make our decisions open, accountable and transparent											3
5. Cooperate effectively and in partnership with adjoining municipalities, other cities and towns, and other spheres of government											4
									Total		14	2.8
2.Local Management towards Sustainability
We are committed to implementing effective management cycles, from formulation through implementation to evaluation
1. Strengthen local sustainability processes and mainstream them into the heart of local government.											3
2. Deliver integrated management towards sustainability based on the precautionary principle											1
3. Set targets and time schemes in the framework of the Aalborg Commitments and create and follow the Aalborg Commitments monitoring review											2
4. Ensure that sustainability issues are central to decision-making processes and that resource allocation is based on strong and broad sustainability criteria											1
5. Cooperate with the Aalborg Signatories and its networks to monitor and evaluate our progress towards meeting our sustainability targets											2
									Total		9	1.8

3. Natural Common Goods
We are committed to fully assuming our responsibility to protect, to preserve, and to ensure equitable access to natural common goods.
1. Reduce primary energy consumption, and increase the share of renewable energies											2
2. Improve water quality, save water, and use water more efficiently											3
3. Promote and increase biodiversity, and extend and care for designated nature areas and green spaces											3
4. Improve soil quality, preserve ecologically productive land and promote sustainable agriculture and forestry											2
5. Improve air quality											1
									Total		11	2.2
4. Responsible Consumption and Lifestyle Choices
We are committed to adopting and facilitating the prudent and efficient use of resources and to encouraging sustainable consumption and production
1. Avoid and reduce waste, and increase re-use and recycling											3
2. Manage and treat waste in accordance with the best practice standards											3
3. Avoid unnecessary energy consumption, and improve end-use energy efficiency											2
4. Undertake sustainable procurement											2
5. Actively promote sustainable production and consumption, in particular of eco-labelled, organic, ethical and fair trade products											1
									Total		11	2.2
5. Planning and Design
We are committed to a strategic role of urban planning and design in addressing environmental, social, economic, health and cultural issues for the benefit of all
1. Re-use and regenerate derelict or disadvantaged areas											2
2. Avoid urban sprawl by achieving appropriate urban densities and prioritising Brownfield site over Greenfield site development											2
3. Ensure the mixed use of buildings and developments with a good balance of jobs, housing and services, giving priority to residential use in city centres											2
4.Ensure appropriate conservation, renovation and use/re-use of our urban cultural heritage											3
5. Apply requirements for sustainable design and construction and promote high quality architecture and building technologies											3
									Total		12	2.4
6. Better Mobility, Less Traffic
We recognise the interdependence of transport, health and environment and are committed to strongly promoting sustainable mobility choices
1. Reduce the necessity for private motorised transport and promote attractive alternatives accessible to all											2
2. Increase the share of journeys made by public transport, on foot and by bicycle											1
3. Encourage transition to low-emission vehicles											2
4. Develop an integrated and sustainable mobility plan											2
5. Reduce the impact of transport on the environment and public health											2
									Total		9	1.8

7. Local Action for Health
We are committed to protecting and promoting the health and well-being of our citizens
1. raise awareness and take action on the wider determinants of health, most of which lie outside the health sector											3
2. promote health development planning, which provides our county with a means to build and maintain strategic partnerships for health											2
3. reduce inequalities in health and address poverty, which will require regular reporting on progress towards reducing the gaps											1
4. promote health impact assessment as a means for all sectors to focus their work on health and the quality of life											0
5. mobilise planners to integrate health considerations in their planning strategies and initiatives											1
									Total		7	1.4
8. Vibrant and Sustainable Local Economy
We are committed to creating and ensuring a vibrant local economy that gives access to employment without damaging the environment
1. Adopt measures that stimulate local employment and business start-ups											2
2. Cooperate with local businesses to promote and implement good corporate practice											3
3. Develop and implement sustainable principles for the location of businesses											1
4. Encourage markets for high quality local and regional production											3
5 Sustainable local tourism											3
									Total		12	2.4
9.Social Equity and Justice
We are committed to securing inclusive and supportive communities
1. develop and implement programmes to prevent and alleviate poverty											2
2. ensure equitable access to public services, education, employment opportunities, training, information, and cultural activities											3
3. Foster social inclusion and equality											2
4. Improve community safety and security											3
5. Secure good quality and socially integrated housing and living conditions											2
									Total		12	2.4

10. Local to Global
We are committed to assuming our global responsibility for peace, justice, equity, sustainable development and climate protection
1.Develop and follow a strategic and integrated approach to mitigate climate change, and work towards a sustainable level of greenhouse gas emissions											2
2. Mainstream climate protection policy into our policies in the areas of energy, transport, procurement, waste, agriculture, forestry and biodiversity											1
3. Raise awareness of the causes and probable impacts of climate change, and integrate preventive actions into our climate change policy											2
4. Reduce our impact on the global environment and promote the principle of environmental justice											1
5. Strengthen the international cooperation of towns and cities and develop local responses to global problems in partnership with local governments, communities and relevant stakeholders											3
									Total		9	1.8
								OVERALL			2.12