Single country profile
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United Kingdom|
Content: |
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Basic information
| Year of approval of the SD strategy and updates |
The UK first developed an NSDS in 1994, after the Rio 1992 conference and the adoption of Agenda 21. A revision of the NSDS was published in 1999. The current NSDS was approved by the UK Government in 2005, building on the 1999 SD strategy. In 2005, a shared framework for SD in the UK was published, including common goals and challenges for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. An SD strategy for Scotland was approved in 2005 by the Scottish Executive; the Welsh SD Action Plan was adopted in 2004 by Welsh Assembly General; and an SD strategy for Northern Ireland was approved in 2006. The First Minister for Wales and the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing launched Wales' new Sustainable Development Scheme on 22 May 2009. “One Wales: One Planet, a new Sustainable Development Scheme for Wales” can be downloaded here. |
| Type of SD strategy | NSDS covers all three dimensions of SD. |
| Lead ministry/institution in the SD strategy process |
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| Link to the SD strategy document |
The full list(s) of NSDS objectives as identified by a study commissioned by Eurostat can be downloaded here: |
| Further information about the SD strategy process |
UK
Northern Ireland Scotland
Wales |
Mechanisms of Vertical Integration
National — sub-national linkages
There are important links between the NSDS and the activities on the sub-national level. The NSDS objectives have to be taken into account in all sub-national strategies and plans. Generally, the UK has set up a multi-level governance system for SD in which each political level has to contribute to achieve the NSDS objectives, i.e. streamlining the NSDS objectives on the sub-national levels.
For the preparation of the NSDS 2005, consultation packs for the regional bodies were developed by the Government, including documents and specific questions. There was also funding provided for the regions to organise consultation events involving many stakeholder groups from the regions. These so-called ‘regional SD dialogues’ provided feedback to the Government. Each region then put together a response in the NSDS consultation phase. The NSDS 2005 includes a section on regional issues and delivery on the regional level.
Consultation packs were also designed for the local levels in order to provide feedback on the NSDS. Moreover, the Minister of Environment wrote a letter to the municipalities, inviting them to provide comments on the NSDS – comments could be submitted via a website or in written form. Advisory groups for local government (including representatives from local councils, local representatives on the national level, ministries, etc) defined issues and barriers for delivering SD on the local level. These advisory groups also developed consensus on a number of SD issues that could be delivered on the local level.
Regarding implementation of the NSDS 2005: In the NSDS process, regions are an important level for delivering objectives. Generally, it is important to embed SD into the three regional planning documents: (i) Regional Spatial Strategy, (ii) Regional Economic Strategy, (iii) Regional SD Frameworks. The Regional SD Frameworks are used as tool to include SD in the other two plans. For developing the Frameworks, guidance from the Government was provided. Additionally, all three regional bodies (Regional Development Agencies, Regional Assemblies, Government Offices in the Regions) deliver SD issues and apply performances measures which include SD. What is more, several guidance documents for the regions have been produced by the Government. The main objective is to set out a strategic framework on the sub-national level to deliver the objectives formulate in the NSDS.
There are also ‘SD Partnerships’ on the regional level, i.e. round tables that include various stakeholders. They are kind of ‘mini-SD Commissions’ that aim to establish consensus about SD on the regional level.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to develop ‘SD Community Strategies’ that set out quality of life and SD issues. The Government also provides guidance for these strategies. A draft version was released in November 2007 and a final version will be published in summer 2008. Moreover, in the auditing of local authorities (undertaken by the Government) includes SD issues. LA21 initiatives are regarded by the Government as mainly local activities. However, they need to be included in the SD Community Strategies to create a link between the national objectives and the local activities.
EU linkages
The renewed EU Strategy for Sustainable Development (EU SDS) that was adopted in June 2006 foresees that Member States bi-annually report about how they address the priorities of the EU SDS. The UK has published its first national report on implementing the EU SDS in June 2007.
Mechanisms of Horizontal Integration
There are several coordination mechanisms that facilitate horizontal integration in the UK:
First, a new Cabinet Committee structure was announced in July 2007. In this committee structure, the main committee relevant to SD is the Environment and Energy sub-committee of the Economic Development Committee. Its remit is to consider international and domestic policy on environment and energy issues; and report as necessary to the Committee on Economic Development and the Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development.
The second coordination mechanism is the SD Task Forces, established by the State Secretary for Environment in 2002. Government Task Forces are set up in order to bring together officials, and often ministers from across Government, in order to generate action on a particular issue of SD. Task forces regularly involve the input of private and voluntary sector workers who have specific expertise on a particular subject. Currently, there are seven such Task Forces in operation.
Third, all Government ministries produced SD action plans until the end of 2006 that identify some of their high level contributions to delivering the NSDS.
Evaluation and Review
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defra) has the lead responsibility for monitoring, reporting and reviewing the process made towards the objectives set out in the NSDS.
The UK Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) is the UK Government's independent advisory body on SD. It has published reports on the previous UK NSDS (from 1999), like a review of the NSDS of the period 1999-2004 and the assessment of progress against the headline indicators.
Indicators and Monitoring
The new NSDS (2005) includes 20 headline indicators that give a broad overview of the trends as well as a new set of 68 strategy indicators that is more outcome-oriented. In 2008, the new ‘SD indicators in your pocket’ guide was published. Regional versions of the UK Government’s SD indicators were first published in December 2005 to help provide a perspective of SD in each region. They were updated in January 2008. Here is a link to regional indicators:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government/progress/regional/index.htm
The full list(s) of indicators as identified by a study commissioned by Eurostat can be downloaded here:
Participation
The development of the current NSDS brought in contributors from across Government ministries and stakeholders from all sectors and a broad range of interest groups. A very broad public consultation exercise took place that made use, amongst others, of web-based approaches and structured workshops, including at regional and local level.
The UK Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) was established in 2000, replacing the British Governmental Panel on SD and the UK Round Table on SD, both created in 1994. The SDC is an independent advisory body that is composed of 22 persons coming from business, NGOs, local and regional administration as well as academia, nominated and appointed on a personal basis.
In April 2006, the SDC officially took on the role as an SD ‘watchdog’, reporting to the Prime Minister. The SDC undertakes the following activities:
- Monitoring cross-government and departmental progress towards sustainable development.
- Carrying out biennial “State of the Nation” progress reports and three annual thematic in-depth reviews of public service.
- Undertaking critical reviews of policies such a Treasury spending reviews, budget and pre-budget reports.
- Monitoring the “accountability framework” for sustainable development.
The SDC reports to the Prime Minister, the First Ministers in Scotland and Wales and the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland. In administrative terms is linked to the Ministry of Environment and is often seen as a council of this Ministry. According to the 2005 EEAC Survey, the work of SDC is highly appreciated throughout the UK.
For a detailed portrait of the SDC, please click here.
For
a detailed documentation of all advisory and participatory councils (for SD and/or the environment) in this country,
please go to the EEAC website at http://www.eeac-net.org/bodies/uk/uk_frame.htm and click on one of the listed institutions.
Sub-national activities
[No information available]
This Country Profile has been last updated on: Wednesday, 28 July 2010
For the sources used in the country profiles, please click here.
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