Best Value for Biodiversity

Purpose of this guide

The original inspiration for this guidance comes from: Making Biodiversity Happen Across Government: Green Ministers' Biodiversity Checklist (2000) which was issued by Central Government to demonstrate how ministers and Government Departments can make a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Hopefully Best Value for Biodiversity will perform the same role for local government.

As such, this guide is aimed at all local authorities in England and Wales, including County Councils, County Borough Councils, District Councils, Metropolitan Borough Councils, Unitary Authorities and National Park Authorities. Within this guidance, all of these are collectively covered with the term local authority.

The document provides guidance for local authorities to carry out a Best Value Review on the delivery of their services where they relate to Biodiversity Conservation. It is not the intention of the guidance to suggest that there is only one way of approaching this topic - all local authorities will have or will develop their own and will be learning from their experience of best value reviews. It is therefore not intended to be overly prescriptive.

The guide provides background information on Biodiversity issues that can be used to address the four key elements of a Best Value Review; these elements being:

In order that these elements may be addressed, this document shows how local authorities can incorporate biodiversity fully and effectively into the Best Value Review of their overall service delivery.

As such it covers:

• A summary explanation of the Best Value process and a definition of Biodiversity and an explanation of its importance
• An overview of the services provided by local authorities (capable of incorporating biodiversity into their delivery)
• An overview of statutory duties and powers relating to biodiversity (nature conservation) relevant to local authorities
• A review of current and potential biodiversity actions that may be incorporated into local authority service delivery (e.g. as an integral part of Community Strategies)
• Recommendations for voluntary Best Value Performance Indicators for Biodiversity
• An indication of what issues external inspectors will be looking at when inspecting individual Best Value Reviews
• Examples of realistic Biodiversity targets within local authority service delivery
• The benefits of incorporating biodiversity into the delivery of all relevant local authority services
• Current factors influencing the delivery of biodiversity action in local authorities
• Recommendations for overcoming constraints within local authorities
• Draft Biodiversity and Countryside Best Value Questionnaire

Best Value for Biodiversity:

Table of Contents