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ITEM EX6 - ANNEX 2

EXECUTIVE – 7 DECEMBER 2004

CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY - SCRUTINY REVIEW; AUDIT COMMISSION INSPECTION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

High Level Environment Group - draft Terms of Reference

Goal

  • Reduce the Council’s environmental footprint by achieving measurable annual environmental improvements and savings in use of natural resources.

Responsibilities

  • Recommend revisions to environmental policy, reflecting findings of Audit Commission and Environment Scrutiny Review reports
  • Identify, and where possible quantify, main areas of environmental impact within the Council
  • Recommend targets for improvement and develop a robust monitoring framework
  • Building on the Council’s environmental programme and checklist, develop an action plan, and recommend how this should be resourced and implemented
  • Review and report annually on progress to CCMT and Executive
  • Ensure environmental objectives and targets are incorporated in corporate performance management frameworks and Directorate service plans and monitoring
  • Promote culture change through championing, staff development, awareness and change management
  • Consider the case for formal environmental accreditation
  • Benchmark performance against experience of other local authorities/organisations
  • Identify good practice and celebrate achievements

Areas to be covered

(a) "Direct effects" from the impact of the Council’s activities covered in the environmental checklist, such as travel and energy use

(b) "Service effects" for example recycling of road materials, and impacts of fire operations

Initially the following areas of impact could be considered:

  • Property, including schools (including energy, waste, and water, and impact on travel)
  • Procurement
  • IT (purchase, use, and disposal)
  • Management of County Council grounds
  • Fire operations
  • Roads/street lighting
  • Corporate travel

It would also be possible to include the role of schools in environmental education, but this may be too distant from the core purpose of the Group

Membership

The group should comprise:

  • officer representatives from each directorate, but more specifically from:
  • Performance Management
  • Property
  • Procurement
  • IT
  • Sustainable Transport
  • The Executive Member for Sustainable Development

There would be a standing invitation to a nominee of the Environment Scrutiny Committee to attend as observer. Other representatives might be invited to attend as required from, for example, Green Teams, The Social Inclusion & Equalities Team, Oxfordshire Community Partnership.

The Director for Environment & Economy would chair the group, and Environment & Economy would provide administrative support.

Accountabilities

The Group would report annually to CCMT and the Executive, securing agreement to targets and plans and reporting progress against them.

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