Sustainability Strategy Plan Layout 1 - Wolverhampton · Sustainability Strategy Plan_Layout 1 17/11/2015 09:27 Page 5 wolverhampton.gov.uk Sustainability Strategy and Implementation

wolverhampton.gov.uk

City of Wolverhampton Council

Sustainability Strategy and Implementation Plan

2013 - 2018

Sustainability Strategy Plan_Layout 1 17/11/2015 09:27 Page 2

2 City of Wolverhampton Council wolverhampton.gov.uk

Contents

Part 1 – Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What is ‘Sustainable Development’? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

International Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

European Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

National Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Regional Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Local Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Part 2 – Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Delivery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Monitoring & Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Approved by Wolverhampton City Council’s cabinet on 24 July 2013 and incorporatingthe Climate Local Wolverhampton Action Plan

For further information, email: [email protected] Telephone: 01902 552177


3wolverhampton.gov.uk Sustainability Strategy and Implementation Plan

Part 1 - Background

What is ‘Sustainable Development’?The word ‘sustainability’ has, arguably, neverbeen more sought after, used, or abused butits definition can still be unclear.

‘Our Common Future’, the report of the UN’sWorld Commission on Environment andDevelopment, 1987, often referred to as theBrundtland Report, defined sustainabledevelopment as ‘development which meetsthe needs of the present, withoutcompromising the ability of future generationsto meet their own needs.’ It was recognisedfor the first time that the environment,economy and society are interconnected andmutually dependent, and that theirmanagement holistically would enablesustainable development.

The previous UK Government’s SustainableDevelopment Strategy ‘Securing the Future’,published in 2005, set out five guidingprinciples of sustainable development:

1. Living within the planet’s environmental limits

2. Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society

3. Achieving a sustainable economy

4. Promoting good governance

5. Using sound science responsibly

The current Coalition Government published arefreshed vision of this strategy,‘Mainstreaming Sustainable Development’, inFebruary 2011, which defines sustainabledevelopment as, ‘making the necessarydecisions now to realise our vision ofstimulating economic growth and tackling thedeficit, maximising wellbeing and protectingour environment, without negatively impactingon the ability of future generations to do thesame.’ It also reiterates that ‘sustainabledevelopment recognises that the three ‘pillars’of the economy, society and the naturalenvironment are interconnected’.

International ContextThe concept of sustainable development

received its first major international recognitionin 1972 at the UN Conference on the HumanEnvironment in Stockholm followed, in 1979,by the first World Climate Conference inGeneva which was the first occasion on whichglobal governments were asked to considerand address man-made climate change.

The Rio Earth Summit in 1992 was in turn thefirst summit at which world leadersacknowledged that a range of global issuesshould be addressed holistically. An outcomewas ‘Agenda 21’, which set out the mainissues key to sustainable development in the21st century, including social and economicdimensions as well as environmentalprotection.

In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was put in place,committing the European community and 37other industrialised nations to reducing theiremissions of greenhouse gases by 5%compared to their 1990 base levels; thisremains the world’s only encompassingclimate change legislation and provided theframework for all future internationalagreements.

In 2002 the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment, also referred to as Rio +10,took place in Johannesburg. TheJohannesburg Declaration produced anumber of initiatives aimed at achieving theMillennium Development Goals, eightinternational development goals set in 2000,which integrate the three aspects ofsustainable development; environment,economy and society.

As a result of the most recent response to theKyoto Protocol, the Doha Climate ChangeConference in 2012, developing as well asdeveloped countries now have a legalobligation to reduce emissions.

Rio +20, in 2012, prioritised two particularthemes for sustainable development; buildinga green economy and improving internationalco-ordination. They both emerge from ‘TheFuture We Want’ document which establishes



a common vision to integrate economic,social and environmental values in order toachieve sustainable development.

European ContextThe European Union has produced much keylegislation related to sustainability. TheEuropean Climate Change Programme wasestablished in 2000, to implement the KyotoProtocol and produced working groups onareas such as energy supply demand andefficiency, transport, carbon capture andstorage and adaptation. The Directorate-General for Climate Action has developedstrategies including the 2008 Climate Actionand Renewable Energy (CARE) packagewhich oversees the implementation ofpreviously made commitments such as thereduction of greenhouse gas emissions andenergy consumption, an increase in renewableenergy sources and the promotion ofenvironmentally safe and sound technologies.

The 2009 EU Renewables Directive is onesuch regulation stemming from the CAREpackage. It produced a mandatory target thatthe EU obtains 20% of its energy fromrenewable sources by 2020. The UKspecifically has been given the target ofsourcing 15% of our energy from renewablesources by 2020.

National ContextNationally, mainstreaming sustainabledevelopment throughout government policy isled by the Environment Secretary. At adepartmental level the Department forEnvironment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)leads on sustainable development and theDepartment for Energy & Climate Change(DECC) on energy and climate change.

One of the first pieces of legislation to directlyaddress carbon dioxide emissions and energyefficiency was the Home Energy ConservationAct, 1995, which required councils to produceannual Energy Conservation Reports aimed atimproving domestic energy efficiency. The Actwas revised in 2012 to require biennial reportsoutlining practical and cost-effective localenergy conservation measures.

The Climate Change Act, 2008 aims to reducegreenhouse gas emissions by 80% by theyear 2050 compared to the 1990 base level.By doing so it aims to encourage thetransition to a low carbon economy andreduce the effects of climate change on theeconomy, society and the environment to amanageable level. Though this Act ispredominantly environment based, it has ledto the development of further, more holisticallyconsidered regulations. At a local level, theLocal Government Association, in June 2012,launched the Climate Local initiative to assistcouncils in reducing carbon emissions andadapting to the effects of climate change.

The 2011 Carbon Plan provides a plan forimplementing the Climate Change Act, withthe intention of delivering a more efficient, lowcarbon and sustainable economy, bypromoting the use of renewable heatincentives, biofuels and establishing efforts inagriculture, forestry and waste. Theconsequential opening of ‘green’ markets forlow carbon technologies provides a pathwayfor the UK to move to a modern andsustainable low carbon economy, that usesnatural resources more efficiently andmaintains a good quality of life.

The Energy Act, 2011 provides a moresustainable government approach to energy. Itaddresses the issues of: energy infrastructure;climate change and conformity withinternational and national targets; economicgrowth and benefits for jobs and investment;affordability of energy; energy security; andsafety.

As part of a national initiative to deliversustainable development, the NationalPlanning Policy Framework was established inMarch 2012. It seeks to build a strong andcompetitive economy; support high qualityhomes and healthy communities; andconserve, enhance and protect the naturaland historic environment whilst meeting thechallenge of climate change and itsassociated effects. The NPPF is therefore akey part of government policy to address thethree aspects of sustainability holistically.



The Green Deal, launched in January 2013,aims to improve energy efficiency for businessand home owners, by removing the up-frontcosts involved in insulation and powergeneration measures to consumers, as thecost is instead recouped through savings onenergy bills. It is part of the revised HomeEnergy Conservation Act (1995); its centralaim is to improve energy efficiency inresidential and business dwellings. The EnergyCompany Obligation (ECO), an update ofprevious initiatives by which the energycompanies provide funding for energyefficiency initiatives, was also introduced tohelp deliver the Green Deal.

Regional ContextSustainability West Midlands is the leadingadvisory body on sustainability for the WestMidlands region. In 2006 it published‘Sustainable Future for the West Midlands’, aregional sustainable development frameworkfrom which councils could develop individualimplementation plans. In line with nationalsustainability policy, it set out four keypriorities for councils to act upon:

1. Sustainable consumption and production

2. Climate change and energy

3. Natural resource protection and environmental enhancement

4. Sustainable communities

In 2007, the ‘West Midlands Regional ClimateChange Action Plan 2007-10’ was publishedby a partnership led by the West MidlandsRegional Assembly. It contained a vision and six priorities for action, reflected in anaction plan.

In 2010, a report on ‘Opportunities in the LowCarbon Economy’ was published for the WestMidlands City Region alongside more detailedreports for each council area. This identifiedthe largest potential opportunities forWolverhampton as being within the sectors of construction, manufacturing, transport,environmental goods and services and public services.

Local ContextWolverhampton City Council andWolverhampton Local Strategic Partnershiphave jointly adopted a number of relevantstrategies in the past decade, as a basis forthe partners’ work:

1. The Sustainability Charter, adopted in2004, which provided a set of strategic sustainability principles

2. The Wolverhampton Declaration onClimate Change, signed by the council inDecember 2006 and endorsed by theWolverhampton Local StrategicPartnership Board in January 2007

3. The Wolverhampton Environment Strategy 2009

4. The Sustainable Communities Strategy forWolverhampton 2008-2026, adopted in2009 (now superseded by the CityStrategy)

With regard to carbon dioxide (CO2), anumber of initiatives are in operation:

1. The council’s Carbon ManagementStrategy & Implementation Plan (S&IP) wasapproved by Cabinet in April 2008 andcommitted to reducing the council’scarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 25% by2015 from a baseline of 2005/06. By2011/12 the council had achieved a 13%reduction in emissions and was not ontrack to meet its original target for2014/15.

2. The Climate Change Strategy & ActionPlan for Wolverhampton 2009-2012 wasprepared in parallel with the EnvironmentStrategy and was also adopted by boththe council and partnership in 2009. Thisset a local target to reduce the city’s CO2

emissions by at least 12% by 2012 and35% by 2026 using a 2005 baseline. Thelatest government figures available are for2010 and show a 14% reduction in CO2

emissions from 2005 to 2010, ahead ofthe target.


Part 2 - Strategy

PrioritiesThe City Strategy 2011-2026, launched inOctober 2011, is the overarching strategy forthe city council and the wider WolverhamptonPartnership. This superseded the SustainableCommunities Strategy.

It has an overarching goal of ‘Prosperity for all’with three Key Themes and priority actionsrelevant to sustainable development:

Theme 1: Encouraging Enterprise and Business

Theme 2: Empowering People and Communities

Theme 3: Re-invigorating the City

The council’s Corporate Plan 2012-2015follows the same structure with an additionalfourth aim, which also has a broad relevanceto sustainability:

Aim 4: A Confident, Capable Council

In order to ensure that the principles ofsustainability underpinned these mainstrategic documents, the SustainableWolverhampton – Simplified Delivery reportwas approved by Cabinet on 25 July 2012. Itoutlines an additional set of priorities anddelivery methods for achieving sustainability inthe city, to enhance those already identified bythe City Strategy.

The priorities are:

A - Providing effective support to deliver a green economy and achieve sustainable economic development

B -Promoting social inclusion and tackling fuel poverty

C - Protecting and enhancing the environment

Reflecting the national priority of climatechange and energy, and its significance to thecouncil’s functions, it is identified as anadditional priority in its own right.

The four priorities of this strategy, linked to thethemes of the City Strategy, are therefore the following:

1. Provide effective support to deliver a greeneconomy and achieve sustainableeconomic development (Reflects CityStrategy Theme 1 – EncouragingEnterprise and Business)

2. Address the causes and effects of climatechange and support the move torenewable & low carbon energy (ReflectsCity Strategy Theme 1 – EncouragingEnterprise and Business)

3. Promote social inclusion and equalopportunities (Reflects City StrategyTheme 2 - Empowering People andCommunities)

4. Protect and enhancing the natural andbuilt environment (Reflects City StrategyTheme 3 – Re-invigorating the City)


3. Under the Carbon Reduction Commitment(CRC), the council has a statutory annualrequirement from 2010-2011 to reportcarbon emissions generated by citycouncil activities. The first year was areporting year only but, from 2011-12, a

payment must be made to the Departmentof Energy & Climate Change for the carbonproduced in the form of purchasing a‘Carbon Allowance’. The CRC produced a figure of 35,012 tonnes of CO2 for 2011-12.



The aim of the Sustainability Strategy andImplementation Plan is to deliver thesepriorities, in support of the themes and aimsidentified in the City Strategy and theCorporate Plan.

In support of these priorities, on 24 April2013, the leaders of the council’s threepolitical parties signed the Climate LocalWolverhampton commitment on behalf of thecity council, following approval by Cabinet.This commits the council to the following:

• Set locally-owned and determinedcommitments and actions to reducecarbon emissions and to manage climateimpacts which are specific, measurableand challenging

• Publish our commitments, actions andprogress, enabling local communities tohold us to account

• Share the learning from our experiencesand achievements with other councils

• Regularly refresh our commitments andactions to ensure they are current andcontinue to reflect local priorities

This Sustainability Strategy andImplementation Plan also forms the council’sClimate Local Wolverhampton Action Plan andwill be published, monitored, reported uponand reviewed as such.

ScopeThe Sustainability Strategy andImplementation Plan will focus initially on thecity council’s own activities and isaccompanied by an Implementation Plan thatwill deliver major changes. It supersedes thefollowing documents which have beenwithdrawn as council policy:

• Sustainability Charter

• Wolverhampton Declaration on Climate Change

• Carbon Management Strategy and Implementation Plan

• Wolverhampton Environment Strategy

• Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Wolverhampton

Other strategies and action plans will remainand be reviewed and replaced as appropriateas part of the Implementation Plan.

DeliveryThe Sustainable Wolverhampton – SimplifiedDelivery Report set out a new structure todeliver the council’s sustainability priorities. ASustainability Delivery Group of councilemployees has been established which isleading on the development, co-ordinationand delivery of the Sustainability Strategy andImplementation Plan and all other activityrelated to sustainability within the city council.It reports directly to a Sustainability AdvisoryGroup of councillors. Both will work, whererelevant, with the Wolverhampton Partnershipand other external partners, includingcontractors, the local enterprise partnership,local nature partnership, local businesses,Centro and adjacent authorities.

Monitoring & ReviewThe Sustainability Strategy andImplementation Plan is for the five years from2013-14 to 2017-18. The Strategy will bereviewed in its final year. The ImplementationPlan will be monitored quarterly and progressreported annually; it will be reviewed in thethird year, 2015-16, and along with theStrategy in 2017-18.


wolverhampton.gov.uk 01902 551155

City of Wolverhampton Council, Civic Centre, St. Peter’s Square,Wolverhampton WV1 1SH

WC

C 9

11 1

1/15

WolverhamptonToday @WolvesCouncil WolverhamptonToday


Sustainability Strategy Plan Layout 1 - Wolverhampton · Sustainability Strategy Plan_Layout 1 17/11/2015 09:27 Page 5 wolverhampton.gov.uk Sustainability Strategy and Implementation

Documents