Local Environment Quality
Workshop – Summary of Outputs
23 November 2012
Objectives
To seek input from a range of stakeholders (although a small group to
ensure a manageable discussion) with different interests and
perspectives on local environment quality, on the following areas:
• Testing the problem: what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs
fixing? Helping us to test our findings about what makes up good (or poor)
local environment quality, and which issues need tackling the most.
• Cost and Benefits: what is the current level of spend on local environment
quality at the moment, and what are the associated social, environmental and
economic costs and benefits? How could changes be felt if there were
improvements or worsening of local environment quality, and how much action
would be needed to bring such changes about?
• Who can bring about change?: Who are the people and organisations that
can, and should, be involved in improving local environment quality?
2
What’s broken – what are the issues that affect the quality of local
environments? And in what ranking?
1.
Litter, cigarette butts, discarded beer bottles
and cans, chewing gum, detritus, urine and
faeces, fly-tipping, empty properties, waste in
gardens, graffiti, vandalism, noise pollution
2.
Discarded bedding material, dog faeces,
3.
4.
Fly-posting
Light pollution, damaged street furniture,
traffic signs, bollards left post works, potholes
Poor local environment quality is a ‘self-inflicted’ problem!
Most Important
What’s broken?
• Litter is a big (costly) problem
• Need to think more holistically about what makes up a good quality environment and
think strategically about producing a ‘better’ local environment
• Not enough clarity from central Government about it’s policies in this area
• Not enough joining up across different actors & sectors
• Legislation not being used properly
• Cuts are encouraging amalgamation of services at the current time, keeping basics
done, but not adding value – not sustainable in the long term, disjoint between what
Govt thinks and what's on ground
• PFI ring-fencing is going to add pressure
• People don’t feel they “own” public space so don’t feel responsible for it, but green
infrastructure and access to a good quality natural environment is vital
• Still matters to people – links to wider agenda like wellbeing, health & economic growth
• People feel they pay already
• But doesn’t matter to everyone, some people argue they’re “keeping someone in a job” If
it mattered to all, we wouldn’t have poor local environment quality!
4
The cost iceberg...
Local Authority costs
(£880m/year in England) are
the tip of the iceberg. Who
else ‘pays’ for poor local
environment quality?
Hidden Costs
- Street management
-Enforcement
- Disposal
-Court action
-Impact on business &
investment
....
Local
authorities
Business
Improvement
Districts
Highways
Agency
Network Rail
Businesses
(‘litter
producers’)
Citizens
(cleaning
front gardens
etc.)
Cost of
managing
anti-social
behaviour
Citizen
volunteers –
opportunity
cost
Headline costs are only
a part of the picture.
Along with street
cleansing costs there
are a host of others for
Local Authorities
And...?
5
The benefits mountain...
Through tackling poor local
environment quality, there
are a range of potential
benefits:
Economic Growth
Inward
investment
Better quality
urban & green
space
Boosted visitor
economy
Improved health
& wellbeing
Less litter, graffiti,
dog fouling etc.
Improved
efficiency in
tackling
neighbourhood
nuisance
Improved
community
cohesion around
local
neighbourhood
improvement
And...?
6
Who can ‘fix’ things? Everyone must step up
Balanced package is vital – can’t
cut one of the actors out and
expect things to work
Government
Responsibility
Business
Citizens
7
Who can ‘fix’ things? Activity Themes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Local Government
Association
Local Authorities
Local Partners
Citizens
Chambers of
commerce
Joint working groups
with set targets which
are measurable
London wide senior
management groups
Scouts and Girl
Guides
RSCs
Private Land Owners
TfL/statutory
undertakers
Estate agents
Faith forums
Neighbourhood
watch groups
Schools
Raising Awareness
Leadership
Neighbourhood forums
Department of Health, Defra, Cabinet Office
Defra
OCCS
Community Leaders
Councillors and MPs
Corporates and small businesses
Tobacco Companies/gum manufacturers
Media and opinion leaders
NHS
Product Design to minimise litter
OCCS
Packaging and other Manufacturers
Places of Worship
Chambers of Commerce
Environmental NGOs
Olympians and Celebrities
Solutions/Services
FMCG
Regulation and Enforcement
“Friends of” groups
Enforcement Officers
Community Groups and Housing Associations
Police
LEPs and BIDs
Environment Agency
Network Rail
Highways Agency
Rivers, Canal Trust
Network Rail
Citizens
Town Centre Management
Big Tree Plant (BTP) and Green Infrastructure Partnership (GIP)
Alternative Funding
eg Lottery
A lot of people can act – so needs to
be something to clean up the muddle,
with clarity of responsibility and
coordination
Monitoring
Neighbourhood forums
Local Government
Fly-tipping
Empty Properties
Who can ‘fix’ things – actors in the cost iceberg...
Role may
reduce with
budget cuts
Hidden Costs
- Street management
-Enforcement
- Disposal
-Court action
-Impact on business &
investment
....
Local
authorities
Business
Improvement
Districts
Highways
Agency
Network Rail
Businesses
(‘litter
producers’)
Communities
?
Local
assemblies?
Local
Enterprise
Partnerships?
Role may
increase as
budget cuts hit
elsewhere
?
9
Bringing about change – Key Themes
Focus on behaviour change and
understanding why people litter
• Efficient Cleansing
• Easy Reporting
• Reactive cleansing –
monitoring campaigns
1. Leadership & Vision - raising
Quick wins
awareness via communication &
education (local authorities need to tap
into existing communities and networks,
• Enforcement - lots of
it, and visible
local shops, local pubs self regulating
Medium
Term Wins
communities)
2. Solutions and Options – (clean!) bins
• Enforcement – Court
and services, learning across sectors.
• Education – Schools
Lower costs & better outcomes
Longer Term • Name and Shame
Changes
3. Resolutions/Laws and Enforcement
– with ‘teeth’ and appropriate monitoring
Examples:
(using citizen science?)
Addison Lee’s work with Topps Pizza,
offering health and safety guidance ‘in
return’ for waste/green compliance;
4. Co-ordination of all of the above
cigarette butt bins maintained and paid for
with advertising; Local Assemblies working
with citizens and Local Authorities to
improve local environment quality.
Ideas for Change - Prevention AND cure
• Producers – producer responsibility,
best practice in business
• Service Deliverers – mainly Local
Authorities at the moment
• Facilitators – innovative business,
local partnerships
• Deliver more for less
• Novel finance streams possible
• Businesses can be experts in
behaviour change – tap in to that
• Government needs a better
understanding of the interrelationships and what works to help
inform sticks and carrots
• And don’t confuse localism with
sovereignty – partnership is still
allowed!
All of the groups that can bring about change can
undertake at least one of the following actions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Government to provide leadership on national join
up and establishing a framework
Local Govt Association could help co-ordinate
council efforts and share best practice
Voluntary agreements between central government
and local authorities
Traffic management to do some cleansing, faster
roads
IT devices and software - better ICT and trust can
mean fewer bean counters
Anti-litter campaign needs to be sustainable unified
and collaborative
There are definite data gaps – do we have all the
information we need for action? Are fly captures
stats accurate and operated properly?
We need to reach and engage with hard to reach
groups
Procurement is inefficient – think differently
(commercially) about contracts. The private sector
may be willing to share knowledge and experience
Ideas for change – thinking differently
World needs busybodies!
Transparency could increase
interest – what is my council
tax being spent on?
People do want to volunteer –
Network Rail have hundreds!
Monitor & evaluate results
Dog Training instead of Fines
Fine and Embarrass
Nudge v Shove
Legislation
National Campaign
Don't reinvent the wheel
Face to face is key for change
Use technology as a mechanism
for change
Next steps...
• React! Let us know what you think;
• Follow-up! Make links, call us, call each other;
• Don’t lose momentum of links made, and build
new ones;
• Internal review – conclusions at Christmas, then
Charlotte Pocin taking over. Will feedback on next
steps in the New Year...
• Keep in touch!
• And your actions can be found on the next slide...
13
What I’m going to do as a result of the workshop?
• “Finalise budgets for next year”
• “Speak to Defra colleagues and other present stakeholders to help ensure the
localism agenda continues to be reflected in the solution/progress going
forward”
• “Set up work group with different agencies in Doncaster WFQ”
• “Launch FiFiLi!”
• “Consider using new methods to publicise Govt data – e.g. Open Data”
• “Send the Messages from this meeting to everyone with LSPL”
• “Get in contact with Change London to find out more about their work”
• “Scope out possibility of procurement savings”
• “Feedback information to Brockley Society (a tree group) and then liaise with
Pauline and Defra!”
• “Send ACS New research to Defra- “Local Services, Happy Place””
• “E-mail/Talk to everyone in this group”
• “Take account of wider aspects when looking at costs”
• ”Identify research gaps and help to fill them”
• “Follow up and research new points raised by the table”
• “Litter = high on agenda. Feedback to Team”
• “Talk to London Bridge Maintenance Unit about litter along the boundary at
Hither Green”
Attendees
Group 1: Jo Withers (Defra)
Simone Spray (Keep Britain Tidy)
Kenny Wilks (LB of Islington)
Lee Wickens( Addison Lee)
David Greenfield (IESE)
Anthony Russell (Bromley Tree
Society)
Rik van de Kerckhove (Defra)
Group 2: Gary James (Defra)
John Read (Clean Up Britain)
Simon Baxter (LB of Tower Hamlets)
Sian O’Keefe (Wrigleys)
Shyam Pillai (DCLG)
Bob Allan (Doncaster MBC)
Motlib Abdul (Defra)
Daniel Instone (Defra)
Group 3: Stephen Turner (Defra)
Charles Hamshaw-Thomas (CSR
Solutions)
Mark Benton (Doncaster MBC)
Douglas White (Carnegie Trust)
Edward Woodhall (Assn of
Convenience Stores)
David Beamont – Victoria BID
Mike Franklin (Network Rail)
Alan D’Arcy (Defra)
Others
Pauline Buchanan Black (Tree Council)
Bella Murfin (Defra)
Claire Herdman (Defra)
Simon Qasim (Defra)
Thank you
Isabella.murfin@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Claire.herdman@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Simon.qasim@defra.gsi.gov.uk