Comprehensive Area Assessment

In 2006, the Local Government White Paper introduced a new performance framework for local authorities which highlighted climate change as an issue that local authorities should be focusing on.

The resulting Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) includes a national indictor defined as 'percentage reduction of the per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the local authority area' (NI 186).

100 local authorities have incorporated NI 186 in their Local Area Agreement (LAA) and 98 per cent of local areas have included carbon reduction or climate change adaptation indicators. Targets have been agreed with Government Offices and focus must now be on delivery of carbon reductions across the area. All local authorities will be assessed against the climate change indicators as part of CAA.

To support local authorities and to help delivery against targets, the Energy Saving Trust has developed a briefing note on the Comprehensive Area Assessment and Local Area Agreements as they relate to NI 186 and some guidance on how best to take action to meet targets.

The following case studies are a selection of those local authorities already delivering actions against Local Area Agreement targets that are of relevance to national indicator 186. They also highlight lessons learnt in setting appropriate targets and gathering data to evidence progress.

• Cheshire County Council
• Essex County Council
• London Borough of Islington
• North Somerset Council
• Wyre Borough Council (Lancashire)

If you have any further questions on Local Area Agreements and how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per capita please contact Practical help on 0844 84 888 30 or at practicalhelp@est.org.uk. We could even come and give you a workshop to help you plan activity to meet your new Local Area Agreement.

The Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust have run a series of workshops in conjunction with the Government Offices. You can find details of the workshops and see the presentations here: Government Office climate change mitigation workshops.