Community strategies and the integration of biodiversity - an assessment of progress in England, February 2005 (ENRR644)

Since 2000, local authorities in England have had a duty to produce and implement Community Strategies, which are intended to guide the improvement of the economic, social and environmental well-being of local authority areas. Recognising that local authorities were implementing an increasing number of plans and strategies (including Community Strategies), the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) produced a circular in July 2003 promoting the rationalisation of plans/strategies within local authorities, including the integration of Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) within Community Strategies. In January 2005, Entec UK Ltd was contracted by English Nature to assess how successfully this has been implemented.