Briefings and responses

This briefing provides a summary of the Strategy, with a specific focus on those elements which are most likely to directly impact upon local government. The key concepts within the strategy are subject to consultation which is likely to take place from January 2019 onwards.

Giving councils a sustainable financial settlement is the long term solution to protecting and enhancing trees in public spaces, and this must be addressed in the forthcoming Spending Review.  

Councils would welcome greater flexibility on local revenue and capitalraising powers, to support their ability to manage local flood and coastal erosion risk management risks.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has recently consulted on proposals to introduce a permitted development right for shale gas exploration.i Shale gas exploration takes place in order to identify suitable sites for hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’), and can have a number of impacts on local communities.

Councils have been successful in establishing recycling infrastructure and services. 99 per cent of local authorities currently collect plastic bottles, and over half (52 per cent) provide drop off points for plastics.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an overarching framework cutting across environmental, economic and social goals.

The ability of local government to take the lead on climate change is restricted by financial constraints on councils, a lack of devolved powers, challenges with monitoring and implementation and a lack of awareness of the agenda.

In February 2019 Defra set out proposals for the implementation of a new waste and resources strategy. The LGA consulted extensively with member councils on the proposals and responded to each of the consultations.

The measures in the Bill seek to establish a new system of green governance and accountability; drive a shift in maximising resource efficiency; enable greater local action on air pollution; secure long-term, resilient water and wastewater services; create or restore wildlife habitats; and give the Secretary of State the power to amend legislation regulating the use of chemicals.

The LGA has long called for retailers and manufacturers to pay for recycling and disposing of packaging in household waste. We welcome the commitment in the Bill to do this but it does not provide enough details for councils to assess the financial and service impacts of the reforms.