Download Open - The Scottish Government

Workshop 1 – all groups
Role of local government
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Reminder: all discussions will be recorded though non-attributable
Local government plays an extremely important role in tackling climate change because:
– it employs 13% of the Scottish workforce; and
– it sets and delivers policies which have a direct and indirect impact on emissions in
communities.
The Bill will create a framework for action for 4 decades – this is a long-term framework and will,
hopefully, outlast this and many future administrations and, therefore other single initiatives
currently in place
The Scottish Government recognises that Single Outcome Agreements are the key process for
delivering local and national outcomes
Voluntary measures such as the Scottish Climate Change Declaration are a key step in taking
action to reduce emissions and will continue to be
Voluntary measures may not suffice in driving long-term sustained action and tools may be
needed to ensure that all parts of Scottish society – government, business and individuals –
continue to make progress in reducing emissions
The Bill can serve as a vehicle to introduce measures in the future – we may not need these
measures currently and we can not anticipate the exact measures which will be needed, but using
secondary legislation in the future can allow government to react quickly to changing
circumstances while still ensuring parliamentary scrutiny
Workshop 1 – groups 1 & 3
Delivering on Commitments
• The Scottish Government and all 32 local authorities reaffirmed their commitment to the Climate Change
Declaration in November 2007
• While Single Outcome Agreements are still being
negotiated, it is highly likely that most, if not all, will
contain measure(s) on climate change
• Enabling powers in the Bill would allow Ministers to
create a duty on the public sector to take certain action
on climate change – these have not been defined and
there is no intention currently to use those powers – the
creation of a new duty would be subject to further
consultation
Workshop 1 – groups 2 & 4
A new framework – building on existing good practice
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Examples of good practice frameworks include: Best Value, the Sustainable
Development Toolkit, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Single Outcome
Agreements (potentially) and many others looking at specific delivery areas,
such as planning
Possible ways of improving guidance could be including specific CC-related
issues (i.e. carbon accounting, meeting targets)
Best Value currently states: “consideration of the social, economic and
environmental impacts of activities and decisions both in the shorter and
longer term” but does not specifically refer to climate change;
May be need for guidance (existing or new) ensures reaching CC-targets is
not done at ‘any cost’ (such as being detrimental to other environmental
issues)
Enabling powers in the Bill would allow Ministers to create new guidance for
the public sector stating how certain action on climate change should be
carried out – this have not been defined and there is no intention currently
to use those powers – the creation of new guidance would be subject to
further consultation; existing frameworks would be utilised first
Workshop 2 – groups 1 & 3
Reporting and scrutiny
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Consultation does not propose that a new scrutiny system on the Scottish
Government should be created to compliment existing Parliamentary
scrutiny but it does seek views on whether this is sufficient, what needs to
be included in annual reports by the Scottish Government, and whether new
functions should be kept at arms-length from government (i.e. given to a
public body)
All local authorities in the Climate Change Declaration have pledged to
“publish an annual statement on the monitoring and progress of our climate
change response, detailing targets set, actions taken, outcomes achieved
and further actions required”
A more consistent, detailed and robust reporting may be required at a later
date
Enabling powers in the Bill would allow Ministers to create a requirement for
the public sector to report on specific climate change issues – this has not
been defined and there is no intention currently to use those powers – the
creation of new reporting requirements would be subject to further
consultation; existing frameworks would be utilised first
Examples of specific measures include carbon footprint of the organisation,
vehicle emissions in the local authority, recycling, etc.
Workshop 2 – groups 2 & 4
Changes to legislation
• Variable charging would include charging people
different fees depending on the carbon-impact of an item
(i.e. waste collection, higher parking charges depending
on the type of vehicle, council tax related to energy
efficiency of homes)
• Perverse incentives emanate from policies or practices
that induce unsustainable behaviour, often as
unanticipated side effects of policies designed to attain
other objectives (i.e. large item waste collection on a ‘per
pick-up’ basis rather than by amount of waste may
incentivise people to throw away as much as possible at
once rather than recycle/donate)