Sustainable operations on the Government estate: background

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This page provides a brief history of how the new operational targets have been developed from the existing Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.

• The original framework
• Reviewing the framework
• Developing new targets
• SD in Government report 2005
• Further information

The Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government estate (the 'Framework')

The 'Framework' was developed in 2001 as the Government’s main vehicle for systematically assessing, reporting and improving Government performance in managing its own land and buildings sustainably. The Framework covered all 19 central Government Departments and their Executive Agencies. It did not apply to the devolved administrations or the wider public sector. The Framework set cross-government targets in nine key operational areas including travel, energy, waste and water.

March 2005 saw the launch of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy 'Securing the Future', which contained the following commitments:

• To review the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate (Framework) in order to deliver a 'step change' improvement in the way the Government manages its land and buildings sustainably.

• That all future Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports would be wholly independent of Government (SDiG reports monitor departmental performance against framework targets).

Framework Review – Sustainable Operations Board & Working Group

The Sustainable Operations Board which includes representation by key Departments at Management Board level and includes the Sustainable Development Commission, was appointed in June 2005, initially for one year to:

• Undertake the review of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate;
• Make proposals for achieving a ‘step-change’ in operational performance; and
• Share best practice and knowledge.

The Board is supported by a network of officials with responsibility for the management of land and buildings.  The Sustainable Operations Board Working Group (SOBWG) was appointed in September 2005 and is represented by all Departments. Principally the Working Group provides the Board with technical expertise on operational aspects and shares best practice.

Developing the new targets

While reviewing the Government’s approach to sustainable operations, Ministers and the SOB concluded that action should be concentrated in three areas:

• Priorities and Targets: Departments were collecting data on a mixture of targets spanning a wide range of areas too thinly.  Data collection was not improving performance.
• Capacity Building: chiefly supporting mechanisms and guidance.
• Leadership: perceived lack of commitment and support from senior management.

In the first instance, the SOB focused on priorities and targets.  Ministers endorsed the SOB’s conclusion that in future Government should have fewer, more outcome focused and more stretching sustainable operational targets. These outcome-oriented objectives give Departments the flexibility to determine the most cost effective way of implementing them, and would respect the huge diversity of the Government estate. They have been set for immediate action, and are based upon the four sustainable development priorities shared across the UK (climate change and energy; sustainable consumption and production; natural resource protection and environmental enhancement; and sustainable communities). A recommendation was also agreed for extending the Frameworks coverage to NDPBs.

Approach Taken

In most cases the approach taken by the SOB was to retain the current Framework target, extrapolated to 2020 but set at a more challenging level, on the basis that over that sort of timescale the necessary changes to our estate, working practices and technologies can be made. Even though fewer targets are advocated, they are more demanding and stretching in nature.

Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) Report 2005

The SDiG Report 2005 was published by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) on 16th December 2005 and covers the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005. The SDC provided a commentary based upon the SDiG Report called 'Leading by example? Not exactly ...'. Previous reports were published by the Sustainable Development Unit (Defra) and can be found in the Publications section.

The 2005 SDC report demonstrates that, although there has been some improvement in performance against the targets in the Framework, there is much more that needs to be done across Government. The 2005 report highlights poor performance in a number of areas across Government including:

• In water, waste and increasing carbon emissions;
• Variations in Departmental performance; and
• Considerable gaps in reporting.

Further information

For further information contact the Defra Sustainable Development in Government team. Their contact details can be found on the contact us page.

Useful Links

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