Review indicates problems in implementing sustainability in England

The recently published review, “The Next Steps – an Independent Review of Sustainable Development in the English Regions”, finds that a lack of joined-up thinking, conflicting government strategies and poor leadership mean that the regions are not delivering on sustainable development. The report recommends that:

• All regional development agencies and government offices should take immediate action on climate change with a package of new measures, including signing up to the Carbon Trust's carbon management programme to improve their energy efficiency and committing to 10 percent low carbon vehicles by 2012.

• Government offices should ensure that delivery of the national sustainable development strategy is no longer a small strand of rural policy, but their primary aim. All regional directors would then have to report on this new aim.

• Regional development agencies and regional assemblies should develop a proper accountability structure for sustainable development, to ensure that environmental and social issues are tackled at management board level.

• The current sustainable development roundtables should be transformed into stronger, well-resourced, independent champion bodies, which would both advise on and assess regional performance on sustainable development.

Further details are available from the UK Sustainable Development Commission at: www.sd-commission.org.uk