Every local authority in Britain is under pressure to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. Inefficient heating, lighting, waste management and transport all have a damaging effect - not only on the ecosystem but also on the cost of running local government services.
PA Consulting Group and the BRE have worked together to produce a solution to both of these problems: the Local Authority Toolkit, a software-based package which will be distributed free to the Chief Executive of every local authority in the country later this month.
The Toolkit, in the form of a multimedia CD-ROM, is designed to run on the vast majority of personal computers in local authorities and takes the user through the key steps needed to achieve real benefits in reducing the effects of environmental impacts, including reviewing the effects on the environment of specific operations, determining the priority actions, and implementing those actions. It is the ideal stepping stone to accreditation to the EMAS standard.
The CD-ROM features benchmarks, case studies and extensive supporting material to enable local authorities to carry out a comprehensive cost and environmental review of every one of their sites, from offices and schools to composting centres and recycling depots. A prototype was tested in various types of site within the sponsoring local authorities -- Cambridgeshire County Council, Chelmsford Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council - which provided practical experience and valuable feedback for the final version.
Third in a series of Toolkits (the Office Toolkit was launched in June 1995, the School Toolkit in February 1997), the Local Authority Toolkit is also sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, The BOC Foundation and the Local Government Management Board.
