Partnership working and sustainability appraisal in Cumbria Abstract …

Partnership working and sustainability appraisal in Cumbria

Abstract (50 ­ 100 words)

Cumbria County Council's Sustainability Team conducted a sustainability appraisal on its
new LAA at an early stage in the process. This demonstrated how the LAA could better
address sustainability. This included:

    ·   Promoting more sustainable communities
    ·   Using the natural environment as an educational resource
    ·   Increasing uptake of broadband technology
    ·   Sustainable approach to job creation

The issue

The County Council's Sustainability Team has developed a sustainability framework for
conducting sustainability appraisals which reflects national and regional policies and has
been subject to widespread consultation with relevant agencies and organizations
including the District Councils and the National Park. It contains 16 sustainability
objectives and guidance on testing for compliance with these objectives. The framework
is also used to carry out statutory sustainability appraisals under the EU Strategic
Environmental Assessment Directive.

What Cumbria did

The sustainability appraisal of Cumbria's LAA was undertaken at an early stage in the
process when the outcomes and sub-outcomes were emerging. The appraisal was
based on the LAA draft outcomes framework submitted to the Government Office for
the North West on in June 2006. This document covers 5 themes:
   ·    Healthy Communities and Older People;
   ·    Safer and Stronger Communities;
   ·    Economic development and Enterprise;
   ·    Children and Young people; and
   ·    Cross-cutting Issues.


The appraisal of the LAA was commissioned by the Cumbria Strategic Partnership and
an appraisal panel that was representative of the partnership as a whole was set up ­
including someone to represent crime and disorder, education and skills, PCT, and the
economy. For each appraisal, attempts are made to get representatives from
organisations covering each of the 16 objectives in the framework. The County Council
team then met the LSP appraisal group, introduced and discussed the framework and
how it would work, and asked them to read through the community strategy before
carrying out the appraisal. For all appraisals, two separate sessions were scheduled.
The first provided the appraisal panel with an introduction to the sustainability
framework and allows participants to familiarise themselves with the framework and
begin to make connections between its requirements and the content of the plan being
appraised. The second session was the appraisal workshop itself.

The appraisal panel for the LAA used the framework to test each outcome and sub
outcome within the LAA against each of the 16 sustainability objectives, and positive
and negative scores were recorded and clear recommendations provided, aimed at
turning negative effects into positive effects. Each theme identified a number of
outcomes and sub outcomes which were set out using bullet points and the briefest of
descriptions. Each outcome and sub outcome was discussed and given a common sense
interpretation.

The County Council team then wrote up the findings and put together a report with
recommendations. The findings presented a challenge about how to address some
aspects of a sustainable Cumbria and provided opportunity for the working groups to
refine each theme and significantly improve the contribution of the LAA to the
development of a more sustainable society in Cumbria.

The impacts
The appraisal process for the LAA highlighted a number of ways in which the draft LAA
could better address sustainability, a number of which demonstrate an integrated
approach to social, economic and environmental outcomes. This included:
·   Promoting more sustainable communities, through consideration being given to a
    multi-agency approach to urban design and regeneration. This would focus on
    designing out crime; designing in public transport and cycling routes; designing out
    social isolation; designing in open spaces, green spaces, possibly including
    allotments; and designing out environmental factors which traditionally impact on
    public health.
·   Recognising that the affordable warmth and additional public health programmes
    have the potential to create additional employment and exploring this further in
    future iterations of the LAA.
·   Utilising the natural environment and countryside as a resource for simple outdoor
    education and skills courses, which could be factored into rehabilitation and
    socialisation programmes for offenders. The suggested benefits include
    environmental enhancement and help with the creation and upkeep of community
    gardens coupled with the possibility of low cost fresh produce.
·   Placing more emphasis on increasing the uptake of broadband technology both by
    business and commerce and public agencies to maximize the numbers of
    employees who can work from home, with the dual benefit of improving local air
    quality and reducing carbon emissions from commuter traffic.
·   Promoting the links between the range of sustainability objectives on climate
    change, air and water quality, waste and biodiversity with environmental
    education.
·   In developing access to jobs, health and education services the appraisal
    recommended that consideration be given to how this might be done sustainably,
    given Cumbria's rurality and the population distribution. The key suggestion was
    that the LAA sub outcomes on access should look at utilising public and community
    transport.
·   To contribute more effectively to sustainability and the Government's sustainable
    communities agenda. It was suggested that consideration needs to be given to
    introducing `stretch' outcomes on waste, climate change and biodiversity, each of
    which was felt to be neglected in the LAA.

Lessons

Because of the success of this process, similar appraisals have been carried out in relation
to other documents, including Cumbria's Sustainable Community Strategy. For this
strategy, the appraisal process involved several iterations as the strategy progressed,
including initial appraisal at a very early stage of the development of the strategy, to
ensure that the appraisal had the most influence.

The key capability factors which enabled the good practice to happen

Leadership
Leadership on SD within the County Council is provided by the two officers within the
Sustainability Team.

Attitudes/skills
As the sustainability appraisal framework has been applied to a number of policy
documents, the members of Cumbria Strategic Partnership have developed knowledge
and understanding of sustainable development and skills to use the sustainability
appraisal process. In particular, partners have developed a clearer understanding of
what sustainable development means and how integration of policy objectives can be
achieved. The use of appraisal panels with wide representation is said to have been
particularly important in developing integration skills.

This, in turn, has meant that the partnership have increasingly understood the benefits
to be gained from using the tool rather than seeing it as a `hoop to jump through' or a
potential barrier to economic growth. This has been aided by the renaming of
`Community Strategies' as `Sustainable Community Strategies', which is said to have re-
emphasised to partners the importance of addressing sustainability issues.

The Sustainability Team are now considering how they can further enhance knowledge
and skills in this area through running workshops on SD and appraisal in advance of the
appraisal processes being conducted.

Structures/tools
The sustainability framework is a key element of the capability which enabled this good
practice. The framework has been developed locally to reflect the local situation and
with the involvement of the stakeholders who are now involved in using it. The
framework has evolved over the period of its use. The framework will continue to
develop although wholesale change to its content or structure is unlikely. Minor
tweaks to the framework will most likely occur to reflect changes in local circumstances
within the County. The status of the framework amongst partners is said to be critical to
its success, as is the sense of local ownership.

The appraisals are carried out using a Panel, with representatives sought for each of the
16 objectives in the framework. As well as Council officers from various departments,
panels have included organisations such as the Environment Agency, Natural England,
Chambers of Commerce and voluntary and community sector groups.

More recently the Planit-sustainability tool has been used as a training package for
officers charged with redrafting and revising the LAA. This tool is a computer-based
learning simulation, used in a workshop setting with a range of partners involved in
policy-making, to explore the issues associated with the development of sustainable
communities. It utilises the targets and objectives found in Regional Sustainable
Development Frameworks.

Resources
The sustainability team developed the sustainability framework but input from
stakeholders has also helped to shape the framework. More recently, the need to align
the strategy with the SEA Directive and secure support from the statutory consultees,
Natural England, the Environment Agency and English Heritage has further shaped the
framework's content. The Cumbrian Framework also accords with the regional
sustainability toolkit but provides a more robust and appropriate tool for appraisal
within the County.

External factors
Historically, Cumbria County Council's work on sustainability appraisal has been driven
by statutory drivers, particularly the requirements for SEA/SA in Planning. The
sustainability framework was originally developed for use in appraising planning
documents but has since been used more widely.

Data / evidence

The Regional Development Agency have acknowledged the framework and promoted it
as good practice in the region but the good practice has been particularly reliant upon
the capabilities of the members of the Sustainability Team, both of whom have a
background in SEA and sustainability appraisal work.

Further information

Tim Gale, Sustainability Officer, Cumbria County Council

Alex McKenzie, Sustainability Manager, Cumbria County Council