Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by the County Councils Network (Appendix 30)

INTRODUCTION

  1.  The County Councils Network (CCN) is a Special Interest Group within the Local Government Association (LGA), with all 37 English Shire Counties in membership. The County Councils Network promotes the voice of counties within the LGA and the values and interests of the English Counties. Together these authorities represent 48% of the population of England and provide services across 87% of its land area.

COMMENTS ON THE BILL

  2.  The County Councils Network welcomes Defra's continuing commitment to working in partnership to achieve economically, socially and environmentally thriving communities. We also welcome the opportunity to work with Defra in developing this significant agenda. Our member authorities support in principle the creation of the proposed bodies focusing on people and the environment.

  3.  The County Councils Network particularly welcomes the explicit role of local authorities as community leaders and service deliverers. We believe that County Councils have a very significant role in relation to community leadership and are well positioned through our role as facilitators to work in strategic partnership with other agencies to deliver Defra's agenda.

THE INTEGRATED AGENCY

  4.  The County Councils Network agrees that the development of the Integrated Agency is an important step forward to conserve, manage and enhance the natural environment in a coherent manner. The proposed remit of the Agency would enable a comprehensive view to be adopted, taking into account urban / rural independencies. It will be important in developing the role for the Integrated Agency that both the ODPMs liveability agenda and its Sustainable Communities policies are considered, to ensure joined-up thinking across central government. It is equally important that the Agency works with County Councils to ensure the delivery of its objectives within a local partnership context. Members of the County Councils Network are well placed to assist Defra to achieve the vision it has set for rural communities.

  5.  There are some issues concerning the urban and rural mix. While we agree on the importance of their interdependencies, the specific issues affecting remote rural areas should be identified and appropriate policies developed to meet local diversity and environmental considerations.

  6.  The County Councils Network supports the focus of the new Integrated Agency. However, issues relating to access, countryside recreation and nature conservation should have a higher profile within its remit. In delivering this joined-up agenda, it will be important that the Agency works with local authorities and through their community strategies.

  7.  The areas of activity proposed for the Agency in the draft Bill are supported. They would enable it to fulfil a useful role assisting local government with advice and policy related information. County Councils can also play a key role as partners in research and policy related learning. The proposal that new Integrated Agency should provide land management advice on environmentally friendly farming through ERDP is also supported.

  8.  The suggestion that the Integrated Agency should work with the Environment Agency to take forward solutions which maximise biodiversity and flood prevention improvements is welcomed. Similarly, the proposal for the Agency to work with the Forestry Commission to prepare and implement strategies for the restoration and expansion of native woodland is reasonable, given that the native woodland falls into the Integrated Agency remit as a priority habitat under the Biodiversity Action Plans, but the Forestry Commission remains the principal funding agency.

  9.  The CCN has concerns about regional development agencies taking on the Countryside Agency's responsibilities and funding for achieving rural regeneration. RDAs have been inconsistent in the degree to which they recognise and prioritise the needs of rural areas, particularly where regions contain major areas of urban deprivation.

  10.  In addition, this approach appears to pre-empt the results of the DEFRA pathfinders established in 2004, which are aiming to find innovative ways of improving service delivery to rural customers under the leadership of local government. This will include consideration of how the plethora of funding streams can be better coordinated and utilised at local level more quickly. The involvement of RDAs may not necessarily represent the most effective routes to achieve this end.

  11.  As an alternative, consideration should be given to utilising the welcome powers proposed in the Bill for the `delegation of functions by mutual consent' and for the `nomination of lead delivery agents' to ensure that powers, together with the funding to discharge such powers, are devolved to the appropriate levels and organisations to deliver effective rural regeneration.

THE COMMISSION FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

  12.  While welcoming the principle of a Commission for Rural Communities, the County Councils Network has some concern about the narrow focus of social and economic disadvantage (if this is based upon the Defra defined economically lagging districts). This does not take sufficient account of the problem of hidden deprivation in much of rural England. County Councils are well placed to assist the Commission to identify those areas with particular needs outside of the identified PSA targeted areas.

  13.  It will be important that County Councils have the opportunity of establishing an early dialogue with the Commission so that its policy expertise can be used locally to improve service delivery. It will also be important that strategic partnerships can benefit from the innovative solutions proposed.

  14.  Our member authorities maintain a dialogue with the Regional Rural Affairs Forums. It will be essential to use this as another mechanism to feed local concerns into the Commission's developing agendas.

  15.  It will be important that in discharging responsibility for sustainable development, Defra and the Commission work closely with ODPM and locally with strategic partnerships, to ensure that there is a joined-up approach to this key policy area.

COMMENTS ON THE ADDITIONAL PROPOSALS

  16.  The County Councils Network understands that work is continuing to integrate the various designation systems (designated landscapes, listed buildings and ancient monuments) into a single list. This is welcome and enables agencies to recognise areas where co-operation is required.

  17.  The Network also supports the amendment to the national nature reserves management, to include their use for nature and open-air recreation.

  18.  The proposal to extend the power for public path creation orders (so that they provide access to any site where the new Integrated Agency recommends that the Secretary of State should make such an order) is also supported.

  19.  The Network welcomes the proposal that public bodies must have regard to the purpose of conservation of biological diversity in the exercise of their functions. This will formalise the status of Biodiversity Action Plans.

The County Councils Network

February 2005





 
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