No surprise by the delay of the 25 year plan but no clarity over how Defra will proceed. Strange timing for the Environment Agency to come out with its 5 year plan.
Defra Delays Its 25-Year Environment Plan
CIWM Posted on 6 July 2016 by Ben Wood ‘Defra has informed the industry that its 25 Year Environment Plan will NOT now be published before the end of 2016 and, in addition, the framework for the Plan that was expected this summer will also not be being published.
In a letter to stakeholders, Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan, explained that the original timings of the framework and the subsequent Plan “did not take into account [Britain’s] decision to leave the EU. As a result we will not be publishing the framework this summer or the plan by the end of the year”.
The letter added that “[Defra wants] to reassure you that Government is committed to developing a long term plan for the environment. The reason for the delay is because the outcome of the EU referendum vote provides us with the opportunity to expand the scope of the plan to consider a long-term vision for the type of environment we want in Britain outside of the EU.
“We want to design an effective approach to driving environmental improvement, tailored to the needs of our country that has a powerful and permanent impact. Development of this will need to be informed by significant engagement with input from all interested parties across many sectors to inform the long term plan.”
Defra offers no new timescale for a post-Brexit Environment Plan, which was originally revealed in its “`Single departmental plan: 2015 to 2020” report, which set out its objectives for 2016, which included developing new approaches for tackling waste crime, including using £20m from reform of the Landfill Communities Fund, and for tackling litter. Click here to read more
Environment Agency: our ambition to 2020
Environment Agency This is our ambition for how we plan to protect and improve our natural resources in years to come, alongside Defra’s proposed 25-year environment plan. This document includes our vision, principles and purpose, and sets out our objectives to create a cleaner healthier environment which benefits people and the economy, a nation better protected against natural threats and hazards, and our commitment to work in partnership. We have also explained the metrics we will be measured against so we know when we are succeeding in our ambitions. Introducing the report, Acting Chairman Emma Howard Boyd said the ambitions would be at the heart of the Agency’s work up until 2020 and that Defra’s proposed 25-year Environment Plan offered a great opportunity to take a long-term view on how to protect and improve natural resources.
“A key element of this will be how we work in partnership across all sectors. This will be increasingly important as we move to a more place-based approach to the environment,” she added.
The document also explains the metrics the Agency will be measured against so it knows when it is succeeding – or failing – in its ambitions. Click here to read
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