This Framework, rather than being a separate strategy for sustainable development in itself, is designed to help all strategies, policies and plans to contribute to a sustainable future for the West Midlands. An aligned, consistent and mutually reinforcing approach to policy at regional, subregional and local level is essential to ensure sustainable development can be delivered.
The Framework sets out a vision and a set of working principles, and a common set of sustainable development objectives for the West Midlands, designed to help the Region move towards a more sustainable future. Most importantly, the Framework sets out a process by which these principles and objectives can be incorporated into the development, review and implementation of strategies, policies and plans at regional, sub-regional and local level. Where a Strategy or plan is subject to formal Sustainability Appraisal , the Framework is designed to support the Appraisal process and to provide a reference for scoping the sustainability issues. Where a formal Sustainability Appraisal is not required, the Framework sets out a best practice approach to incorporating sustainable development objectives within the strategy, policy or plan development process.
The use of a common set of sustainable development objectives in all strategy development and policy-making in the Region will ensure that the various agencies and institutions contributing to public policy development and delivery in the Region are moving in the same direction, with strategies and policies aligned towards common goals and working in a complementary and co-operative way. In this way, the Framework supports the Regional Assembly in its goal of ensuring that regional strategies are complementary and aligned.
Some of the key partners, policy areas and strategies that will be required to implement the Framework process are listed here. But the process will hopefully engage a much wider range of partners, including business groups, professional organisations, Trade Associations and the voluntary and community sector. Setting out the process clearly will also help these groups to contribute to policy development and delivery and to understand what sustainable development means in practice.
As far as possible this Framework reflects existing principles, objectives and measures of progress rather than creating new ones. The vision is based on the regional vision outlined in the Regional Spatial Strategy, whilst the principles and objectives reflect those outlined by the government in ‘Securing the Future’ and key regional commitments in the Regional Concordat and other regional strategies.
The West Midlands Regional Sustainable Development Framework has been prepared for the Regional Assembly by Sustainability West Midlands , supported by the West Midlands Sustainable Development Officers Network. The Framework is endorsed by the Regional Assembly, Government Office for the West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands , the regional development agency. The Framework has been revised to reflect developments in regional policy and the launch of ‘Securing the Future’, the 2005 UK Sustainable Development Strategy.
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