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15 WHAT THE PUBLIC SECTOR WILL DO
Glasgow and Firth of Clyde
WE WANT TO SEE A SCOTLAND WHERE:
- MECHANISMS ARE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT DELIVERY
- PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IS USED TO MAXIMUM EFFECT
- THE PUBLIC SECTOR HAS REDUCED ITS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Local authorities and their community planning partners can lead the way in delivering sustainable development locally. Across the public sector there is a huge amount that can be done to reduce the global environmental impact of its estates and operations, and to use its purchasing power in support of sustainable development objectives
15.1 The public sector has a vital role to play in delivering this strategy. It is responsible for implementing some key programmes - for example local authorities have a lead role in implementing the National Waste Plan. Local authorities and their Community Planning partners can lead the way in delivering sustainable development locally. Across the public sector there is a huge amount that can be done to reduce the global environmental impact of its estates and operations, and to use its purchasing power in support of sustainable development objectives. The Executive needs to show leadership, demonstrating practical commitment from policy making to procurement.
15.2 We want to see a Scotland where:
- Mechanisms are in place to support delivery.
- Public procurement is used to maximum effect.
- The public sector has reduced its global environmental impact.
CASE STUDY
Passed to the Future
Image: Historic Scotland
Passed to the Future is Historic Scotland's policy for the sustainable management of the historic environment. It sets out what is involved in managing the historic environment in a sustainable way, managing the impact of both natural processes and human activity in such a way that our environment retains its historic character. It highlights broad principles fundamental for the sustainable management of the historic environment, which include recognising value, good stewardship and partnership working. It also stresses the value of retaining and, where it is possible and right to do so, re-using existing structures and materials, as well as explaining the continued relevance of traditional building materials and local craft skills.
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
SUPPORTING DELIVERY
15.3 Local authorities in Scotland have a great deal of experience and expertise in the delivery of sustainable development, built up from action to deliver Local Agenda 21, and programmes that are now taken forward under the duty of Best Value 31. The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 established sustainable development as one of three cross-cutting themes, sitting alongside equal opportunities and joint working, with Audit Scotland auditing performance against this duty. Practical new guidance will be introduced in 2006 to improve local authorities' understanding of the sustainable development element of the duty. This guidance is being developed by the Sustainable Scotland Network in consultation with the Executive, Audit Scotland and others.
15.4 This guidance is part of the broader agenda to deliver Best Value in public services in Scotland: organisations that secure Best Value will be able to demonstrate a contribution to the achievement of sustainable development. Further work is required to ensure that we are collectively making the most of the sustainable development element of the Best Value duty in Scotland. This will include improved guidance, training and support for responsible authorities and discussions with Audit Scotland on how it may develop its evaluation and reporting frameworks on performance. The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on refreshed Best Value arrangements for the wider public sector. The intention is to produce new guidance, training and support materials by April 2006.
15.5 The Sustainable Scotland Network 32 provides support to local authorities working on sustainable development. The Executive will provide additional resources to the Network over the next three years to develop new programmes on climate change, sustainable procurement, Best Value and more general work on training and capacity building across local government.
15.6 Community Planning is the key over-arching approach that supports partnership working for sustainable development at the local level. It has the unique potential to overcome shared challenges that are not the sole responsibility of a single agency. Many Community Planning Partnerships have identified sustainability issues as a priority and have partnership structures in place to support action.
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
15.7 The public sector across the UK buys £125 billion worth of goods and services each year. There is growing international interest in governments making better use of their purchasing power to help deliver policy goals. That ranges from stimulating demand for 'green' products, including products made from recycled material, to improving resource efficiency in operations.
15.8 The UK Government has established a business-led Sustainable Procurement Task Force to develop a national action plan for Sustainable Procurement across the public sector by April 2006. The Scottish Executive will work with and contribute to the work of this Task Force, and learn from its findings. It will introduce a Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan by the end of 2006 building on the progress that has already been made in Scotland, taking into account the work of the UK task force. The Action Plan will also identify Key Performance Indicators and benchmarking opportunities to deliver on the Executive's ambition to be a leader in this field.
15.9 Local authorities and other public bodies are responsible for much public procurement in Scotland. The Executive's Procurement Directorate promotes best practice across the public sector, and provides advice and support. New guidance will be issued to local authorities and other public sector bodies on how to incorporate sustainable development into procurement. The Sustainable Scotland Network will also introduce a new programme to encourage best practice in sustainable procurement by local authorities in Scotland.
REDUCING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
15.10 We want the public sector in Scotland to act as exemplars, leading the way in improving the resource efficiency of its operations. This will make a significant contribution to efficient government as well as sustainable development objectives.
15.11 The Executive is working with public bodies in Scotland to improve the environmental management of their estate and operations. At the end of 2004 the Executive launched an initiative to improve the environmental performance of their agencies and sponsored public bodies. Agencies and public bodies have been requested to complete a gap analysis of their existing policies to enable them to put in place by March 2006 environmental policies, procedures and realistic targets for reducing their environmental impact.
15.12 The Scottish Executive has consulted on the possibility of setting targets for public bodies on the specification of recycled material 33. Funding support has also been made available to local authorities to audit their own waste and draw up waste prevention plans.
15.13NHSScotland can make a significant contribution to the sustainability agenda as a major consumer of a wide range of goods and a powerful influence on communities. Since 1985-86, NHSScotland has reduced energy consumption by 36%, bringing significant environmental and financial benefits, and has achieved a 38% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions since the 1989-90 base reporting year. To achieve further improvements, a baseline report on NHSScotland's wider sustainable development performance will be commissioned by the end of 2005, reporting by early 2006.
15.14 The Executive has delivered major improvements of the energy efficiency of its estate, resulting in a 49% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to energy use since 1991. The organisation is now delivering a recycling level of around 80% of total waste arising. This total has however been steadily increasing over the last five years and the focus of activity in this area will now turn to waste reduction. The immediate challenge for the period ahead is to achieve more sustainable business travel. The Executive will consider the scope for requiring, where practicable, accommodation for travel on official business to be accredited under the Green Tourism Business Scheme or to an equivalent standard. The Executive will also offset the carbon dioxide emissions of its business travel by paying for new projects which would reduce carbon dioxide by a similar amount and will reduce emissions from its business travel by 5% between 2005-06 and 2010-11.
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