Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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Hilary Benn sets out vision for Local Authorities on the environment

Hilary Benn sets out vision for Local Authorities on the environment

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (204/07) issued by The Government News Network on 5 July 2007

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today stressed the central role Local Authorities have in fighting climate change as he launched the new Defra - Local Government Joint Environmental Prospectus

This practical checklist sets out how local authorities can:

* Tackle climate change;
* Protect the natural environment and resources, and break the link between waste and the economy; and
* Improve the local environment.

Speaking before the Local Government Association's annual conference, Mr Benn said:

"Nothing is of greater importance to all of us today than the environment and the future of our planet. As councils and national governments we need to work together with citizens and businesses to provide a clean and green local environment and make sure that we are all tackling climate change and making best use of the world's limited resources.

"It's a task for all of us - G8 leader and council leader alike - and citizens too.

"This is the new politics. Personal responsibility. Not leaving it to others. I am my planet's keeper."

At the conference, Mr Benn also announced the publication for comment of Defra's proposed indicators for the new Local Government Performance Framework. Several of the 13 indicators are new, and reflect the Government's priorities for local government, including climate change.

Defra is keen to listen to on the ground experience to help ensure their proposals are the right ones.

The proposed indicators and how to comment on them can be found at: http://defraweb/environment/localgovindicators/index.htm

More details about the Joint Environmental Prospectus can be found at: http://defraweb/corporate/delivery/landscape/local/index.htm

Notes to editors
The Joint Environmental Prospectus provides an overview of the local and national governments' top environmental priorities.

It sets out 10 key questions which local leaders and chief executives can use to challenge their Councils to ensure that the environment is integrated throughout its concerns.

The Local Government White Paper (published in October 2006) set out a new performance framework for local government. The backbone of the new framework will be around 200 indicators covering all the Government's priorities for local delivery. Local Government will be required to report their performance against these indicators from April 2008.

For each of Defra's proposed indicators a rationale is set out along with information about collection arrangements. In each case responses are sought to questions, and replies are invited via the web-site.

The indicators cover a range of Defra's activities. As well as climate change, they include biodiversity, waste, air quality, local environmental quality and fuel poverty.

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