By Stephen Weigel and Stephen
Cirell
Environmental issues have been thrust to the fore in local
government.
The press is full of news with an environmental or climate
change theme: from recycling and reuse, to landfill and pay as you
throw pilots, from flooding to flood prevention, from Local Area
Agreements and inclusion of climate change indicators to carbon
trading.
The urgency of the climate change message has been reinforced by
rapid increases in gas and electricity prices, which have rightly
been viewed by the public with increasing concern.
Councils have a pivotal role to play in tackling climate change
and this has increasingly been recognised by the government. The
Secretary of State, Hazel Blears, recently commented that many of
the solutions lie at local level and local authorities are ideally
placed to lead on them.
