Identifying Barriers and Opportunities for a Transition to a Low Carbon Society at the Nexus: Parish Councils

I see so many opportunities for promoting sustainable development and creating sustainable communities at the  parish council level of government. My work so far with parish’s has looked at governance structures and the role the sustainable development might play as well as possible responses to climate change. Relating to this i see a strong role for parish councils in the transition to a low carbon economy.   The UK Governments focus on localism increasingly puts the impetus on local communities to address these issues. It is very clear however, that community engagement with energy systems is poorly understood and there is a need for further  research in this area.

In particular the question that needs to be asked is

 “What are the opportunities and barriers of sustained community engagement with energy issues to facilitate a transition to a low carbon society?”

 In order that this is answered the following objectives should be addressed.  In order to answer this i suggest here that the parish council should be ued as a focal point and a model for best practice, and here’s why

TPCs are the closest level of government to the community as well as being an integral part of the community.  They are embedded in multiple community groups as well as being the platform for the community’s connection to local government and vice versa. There are over 10000 councils in England, that provide employment for over 25,000 staff with an annual expenditure of around £400 million (NALC 2010).  Taking on a social science perspective I  characterise parish councils as a nexus where multiple global and local issues converge.  Using this study group very specific local issues concerning community and energy can be addressed whilst simultaneously providing the breadth of analysis and the transferability of findings on a national basis.  With the above in mind 4 main these need to be addressed

Energy Literacy and Visibility

The role of energy literacy and the visibility of energy use as well as corresponding behavioural change is complex and often counter intuitive.  This is especially the case in areas relating to climate change (Hulme 2009).  For example, it is increasingly recognised that more information or visibility of energy related issues does not necessarily translate into effective behavioural change, either at the community or individual level (Borne 2009d; SEMBE 2008).  Perceptual and discursive relationship between community engagement with energy and subsequent behaviour need to be explored.  This will be contextualised with the tangible assessments of the surrounding physical and legislative (structural) attributes of the specific area.   Furthermore, by exploring the networks of parish councils it will be possible to assess how information is shared and disseminated, not only within a single community but also across a network of communities.  For example, it was identified in previous research that there is often a non viral transference of information systems of best practice that pose considerable barriers to community engagement.   Understanding these issues will provide context specific and transferable models for understanding energy literacy and visibility at multiple community levels (Borne 2010).

Transformative Innovation, Lifestyles and Social Technical Practices

Investigations into current practices that relate to energy use in different arenas of peoples lives such as work, leisure activities and transportation will be assessed both individually and collectively to expose the entrenched or locked in patterns that lead to unsustainable energy practices ultimately hindering the transition to a low carbon society (Jackson and Papathanasopoulou 2008).  This is achieved by exploring discourses within and among TPCs and associated community groups.  Discourses are recognised as being embedded in the broader social and structural practices that they represent (Hajer 1995).

Communities, Ownership and Social Movements

It is increasingly recognised that with relation to sustainable development issues, if initiatives are not owned at the local and community level success rates are low (Dalal-Clayton and Bass 2002).      Focusing on TPCs as a nexus will inevitably and necessarily address the issues of ownership and the nature of community itself.  An underlying principle of the research is to challenge established and geographically bound interpretations of communities, exploring the notion of communities of interest and the relationship this has to associated practice.   The high level of engagement using the parish councils as an indicator, or litmus with projects and initiatives will establish tangible and highly transferable data on ownership, engagement and effective action.

Policy, Legislation and Governance

Using parish councils to understand relationships between community and energy use fundamentally addresses issues of policy, legislation and governance.  This tier of local government is embedded in the wider policy and governance process of local authorities and national government. The effectiveness of initiatives and legislative prescription, such as the ‘Climate Change Act’ and Sustainable Communities Act (hard and soft laws) can be assessed.  Using parish councils as a nexus, the vertical and horizontal integration of policy, legislation and governance more generally can be explored.  The existing mechanisms available that enhance the sustainability of communities can be assessed and also the impact of the Localism Act on this agenda

References

Borne, G. (2010a) A Framework for Sustainable Global Development and Effective Governance of Risk

Borne, G. (2010b) Promoting Sustainable Communities: Education and Training Final Report, Promoting Sustainable Communities 2(1) http://hdl.handle.net/10293/348

Borne, G. (2009a) Promoting Sustainable Communities: Education and Training. Report for Cornwall Council http://hdl.handle.net/10293/305

Borne, G. (2009b) Promoting sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall: A Reflexive Review of Practice.  www.lifelonglearningnetworks.org.uk/keydocuments/newsletters

Borne, G. (2009c) Understanding Town and Parish Needs for a Sustainable Cornwall, South West Life Long Learning Network http://uplace.org.uk:8080/dspace/handle/10293/100

Borne, G. (2009d) Achieving Sustainable Lifestyles or encouraging a Counter Reflexivity: Exploring Motivations for Sustainability in a Mediated Risk Society   Local Environment  14(1):93-107

Dalal-Clayton, B. and Bass, S. (2002) Sustainable Development Strategies, a Resource Book, International Institute of Environment and Development

Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. (2009) Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaption for Spatial Planners, London, Earthscan

Department of Energy and Climate Change (2009) UK’s National Strategy for Climate and Energy: Transition to a Low Carbon Society, http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx

Foresight Land Use Futures Project (FLUSP) (2010) Land Use Futures: Making the Most of Land in the 21^st Century, The Government Office for Science, London http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Land%20Use/luf_report/8614-BIS-Land_Use_Futures_Exec_Summ-WEB.pdf  accessed 04/03/10

HMGOV (2005) Securing the Future - UK Government sustainable development strategy http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/publications/uk-strategy/index.htm, accessed 04/08/06

Hajer, M. (1995) The Politics of Environmental Discourse: Ecological Modernisation and the Policy Process, Oxford, Oxford University Press

Hulme, M. (2009)  Why We Disagree About Climate Change, Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Jackson, T. and Papathanasopoulou, E. (2008) Luxury or ‘Lock-in’? An explanation of unsustainable consumption in the UK: 1968 to 2000, Ecological Economics 68:80-95

National Association of Local Councils (2010)  http://www.nalc.gov.uk/ accessed 10/02/10

Sustainable Energy Management and the Built Environment (2009) Powering our Lives: Sustainable energy Management and the Built Environment, Final Project Report, The

Government Office for Science, London  http://www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/ActiveProjects/SustainableEnergy/ProjectHome.asp, accessed, 11/11/09

Commission for  Rural Communities (2009) Securing Effective engagement fro Parish and Town Councils with Unitary Structures and Processes http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/publications/securingeffectiveengagementforparishandtowncouncilswithunitarystructuresandprocesses

HM Government ‘The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan: National Strategy for Climate and Energy