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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