The role of public sector bodies in tackling climate change: consultation analysis

Part 1: Information and Collaboration

Section 1

Information and Training for Public Sector Bodies

Context

For public sector bodies to play their full role in securing a just transition to a net-zero Scotland, leaders of public sector bodies need to have the knowledge and information to make the right decisions, and the right structures need to be in place to support collaboration across the public sector and beyond. In 2011 the Scottish Government produced Public Bodies Climate Change Duties: putting them into practice which aimed to assist public sector bodies in addressing climate change action as a key strategic issue and in mainstreaming it alongside other corporate priorities. It is acknowledged that a number of aspects of the guidance document will now need to be updated.

In terms of adapting to climate change, guidance on the Adaptation Capability Framework was published to support organisations at different stages of developing adaptation strategies and action plans.

The Scottish Government is funding the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to develop a "Climate Solutions" qualification for middle and senior managers which will help organisations embed climate change action at the level where it can achieve the most significant impact (scheduled for launch in 2020).

Question 1:

What additional training, information or guidance do you think public sector bodies need to help them increase their action on climate change?

Overview

The feedback provided by respondents confirmed that tackling climate change is a key policy priority. Time was considered to be "of the essence", and there was strong recognition of the "increased urgency" and the need for a "co-ordinated approach at a national level" to achieve transformative change.

There was acknowledgement that public sector bodies had varying levels of maturity in knowledge and understanding of climate issues, their activities' emissions, and their role in terms of mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. The diversity in scale, function and impact of public sector bodies was noted. There was recognition that public sector bodies were at different stages in responding to the climate emergency, and that different levels of maturity, capacity and technical expertise would need to be sufficiently reflected within any associated training, information and guidance provided by the Scottish Government.

For public sector bodies to increase their action on climate change, there was general agreement that clear/specific guidance would be required to inform decision-making and "to embed climate change as a priority across organisational governance". A common view was that statutory guidance would need to sit alongside additional practical and financial support for public sector bodies.

A common theme that emerged was that the development of good governance practices on climate change and wider sustainable development issues would help it to become mainstreamed as "core business". The ultimate goal was to place "sustainability at the heart of every decision-making process" within public sector bodies.

It was felt that "nationally-produced, consistent and regularly updated guidance" would help support more climate-friendly behaviour and decision-making within public sector bodies. Achieving the wider buy-in and support from individuals not directly involved in environmental or sustainability roles was considered crucial, as was removing "silo" approaches to climate change action.

These points are reflected in the respondent quotes below.

"It is absolutely clear that business as usual is no longer enough. This applies to the public sector – which must provide leadership and set the example for business and wider society".
Individual

"Guidance is also required to ensure climate change is embedded as a priority across an organisation's governance structure. There needs to be guidance which is statutory, that is clear on the 'musts' and is supported by strong monitoring, reporting and verification".

Skills Development Scotland

"Carbon management within an organisation should be treated with the same rigor as financial management with equivalent training and checks and procedures implemented".

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

"Personal, individual and organisational annual objectives should be a mandatory requirement to ensure the delivery of environmental due diligence is addressed from the senior management level across the organisation. Senior leader's actions and performance levels with regard to environmental due diligence should be made available to show personal accountability".

Individual

"Support to implement more robust behaviour and cultural change across the public sector. Scottish Government should convey clear expectations of every public sector employee in terms of complying with energy efficiency, transport and waste procedures within each organisation in the way that diversity and equality behaviours are rightly expected".

Police Scotland

Some respondents mentioned that the consultation document did not cover the issue of resources available within public sector bodies to focus their efforts on accelerating action on climate change. Many called for considerable investment at a national level to allow public sector bodies to deliver on the Scotland-wide ambition (e.g. financial resources to support dedicated project management, development of, or access to, specialist expertise, widening access to Scottish Government's Central Energy Efficiency Fund or Salix Finance^[1]).

These points are captured in the following respondent quotes.

"…an identified ongoing funding stream is essential to motivate and generate the much needed action. This is necessary both for projects and to ensure that public sector bodies have the right staff in place to be innovative and action focused. In the example of a local authority, currently all training, information and guidance is focused on very small sustainability teams within the organisation. Moving forward, training, information and guidance needs to be service specific so that everyone in the public sector regardless of what skill set and type of role they have has climate change mitigation and adaptation embedded in the work that they do".

Aberdeenshire Council

"…emphasise that fundamental to public bodies being able to increase their action on climate change will be a full reassessment of their budgetary priorities and potentially procurement criteria, and also, crucially, more funding being made available from the Scottish Government to help with climate action in this regard. It would therefore be helpful if there could be clarity over funding for future years, on what additional funds will be made available for climate action, and what other potential private/public sector sources of funding could be available to public bodies wishing to increase their action in this important area".

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

"Improved funding support for organisations that wish to make fundamental improvements to energy, fossil fuel, and water consumption that would not otherwise be able to because of budget constraints".

Police Scotland

"Transformational change cannot happen with the current financial and staffing levels".

South Lanarkshire Council

Many respondents emphasised that training, information and guidance was needed at all levels, not just for middle and senior managers (e.g. technical/procurement specialists, board and elected members, and a basic knowledge and understanding for all staff of the impact of their work on supporting Scotland's climate ambitions.

The above points are reflected in the respondent quote below.

"At present, climate change is often tackled in relative isolation, with only a few staff involved, rather than being considered holistically. Our experience suggests that approaches which involve senior management along with representatives from every department as well as core staff are more likely to succeed and ensure buy-in".

Zero Waste Scotland

The facilitation of increased cross-sector/departmental collaboration and cooperation between the public, private and third sectors (and with communities) were viewed as essential components of encouraging public sector bodies to accelerate their climate change action. There was recognition that a consistent approach in the provision of training, information and guidance would facilitate greater levels of partnership working.

Guidance

There was recognition across the consultation responses that current guidance would need to be updated, and that clear, consistent, statutory/mandatory guidance was required on all aspects of climate action. There was strong support for the guidance to be explicit in terms of what "must" be done and what "should" be done in order to comply with the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties. Where actions became crucial it was recommended that a timeline was provided for when these could become mandatory. Where actions were not seen as mandatory, it was suggested that they could be prioritised as "best/good practice".

There was strong support for clear, consistent and regular monitoring and reporting to ensure openness, transparency and accountability of public sector bodies' action and progress in tackling climate change.

Some felt that there could be value in the Scottish Government drawing upon the knowledge and expertise of others as part of a co-design approach to developing the content of updated guidance, etc (e.g. experts, professional bodies with training functions, 2050 Climate Group were specifically mentioned in a few cases).

Wider points were raised regarding the provision of guidance, as outlined below:

• Guidance should include all aspects of the public bodies' climate change duties, including mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development outcomes. Guidance on mitigation, energy and sequestration should include an element of flexibility to enable agility in planning and action.
• Guidance should help align public body functions and roles with delivery of commitments in the Climate Change Plan and Climate Change Acts.
• Some reported that policy advice was required on how to embed climate change adaptation and mitigation as a priority across organisations' governance structures and all areas of responsibility.
• It was reported that mandatory guidance should clearly define the role of public sector bodies in tackling climate change, and related issues (e.g. biodiversity). This could include practical and operational guidance on how the public sector could act as a leader or exemplar for wider society – "climate change championing".
• Guidance should cover monitoring and reporting requirements.
• There were many requests for clarity on: the definition of direct emissions, net zero, absolute zero, climate neutral, carbon positive/negative (e.g. what this meant in practice, glossaries); what emissions sources were to be included in Climate Change Plans, targets, reports and projects; the provision of standardised metrics (e.g. what should be measured and how); and examples of offsetting and sequestration options (e.g. carbon capture, tree planting and bioenergy).
• Some wider points raised included a request for advice and clarity on: how to calculate emissions; key areas to prioritise in terms of emissions reduction; target setting; how to calculate feasible timeframes for emissions reduction; how to monitor and evaluate progress; how best to influence indirect emissions reduction; how to ensure information made publicly available was accessible and meaningful; what happened if individual public bodies did not deliver on their carbon targets; how to align mitigation and adaptation so new infrastructure took consideration of both aspects; guidance on implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and alignment of reporting processes.

Wider comments on guidance identified are captured in Appendix B.

A number of comments were made on the importance of a "whole systems approach" and "place-based approach" to tackling climate change. It was specifically mentioned that actions to address the climate emergency could help contribute to wider outcomes (e.g. improved population health, reduced social and health inequalities). Guidance on developing policies and actions that sought to maximise the wider benefits and impacts of climate change policies and actions was considered particularly important.

This point is reflected in the quotes below.

"Supportive expert guidance from the Government that sets clear political expectations for prioritisation of climate action and a radical approach to delivering ambitious carbon targets would be welcome. This needs to emphasis the 'whole system' approach needed to truly drive change".

The City of Edinburgh Council

"Guidance is needed on how to involve communities in the decisions that need to be made in the transition to net-zero and adapting to the impacts of climate change already locked-in. This guidance could include how to use Community Planning Partnerships (and Local Outcome Improvement Plans) to deliver a more holistic, place-based approach where climate change duties are at the heart. Relations with those working on the Place Standard Tool and the Place Standard Alliance….. would be useful here, as would the use of Scotland's Community Empowerment principles".

Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN)

Information and Messaging

Clear and consistent information and messaging on climate change was considered important. A key theme was the importance of continuing to increase awareness and understanding of the breadth of the issue (e.g. challenges and opportunities), the scale and urgency of the climate change challenge, the impact it was having, and on why it was important for public sector bodies to increase their efforts and the pace of change.

Further, some respondents felt that it was important to reinforce the role that everyone has to play in tackling climate change, and to highlight the wide range of ways to reduce carbon emissions, including current and future technological options and solutions. Providing a steer on "where to focus efforts", the "aspects that need to be tackled", and providing the "tools for change" were considered equally important.

These points are reflected in the respondent quotes below.

"There is a further case for structured programmes of awareness raising and leadership sessions for senior leaders and middle managers across the public sector with the aim of raising awareness of key climate facts and the urgency required in responding; setting out best practice including opportunities for cost savings and risk mitigation; this would show how action on climate change can link to broader objectives on, for example, air pollution, social justice or poverty alleviation".

Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, University of Edinburgh

"Information on initiatives and innovations that have been successful in helping mitigate and adapt to climate change and their implications in terms of cost, disruption and so on. In particular those that are transformational. This should be targeted at Corporate and Senior Management level".

Inverclyde Council

"The speed of innovation required to meet the net zero target and adaptation actions means a significant increase in the speed that knowledge is shared than is happening now. Knowledge needs to be shared in such a way that it can be built on, constantly driving innovation".

Fife Council

The provision of clear, relevant, regular and continuously updated information at a strategic and operational level were considered essential. There were some calls for a single access point to information for business cases, funding sources and opportunities, technology guides, academic research, and case studies.

A further suggestion highlighted the importance of signposting public sector bodies to the wealth of existing sources of information and support. Specific reference was made to: Adaptation Scotland Programme, Energy Savings Trust, Environmental Managers' Forum, NHS Scotland National Sustainability Assessment Tool^[2], Scottish Energy Officers Network, Scottish Government information, Sustainable Scotland Network, Zero Waste Scotland, and wider providers of specialist technical support and advice.

Diversity in the format of how information was presented and made available were emphasised, and reflected different preferences for receiving and digesting information and data (e.g. briefings, case studies, information sessions, etc).

Opportunities for ongoing information exchange, peer support and sharing of ideas and best practice between public sector bodies (including at an officer level) were considered vital. It was suggested that these opportunities would help ensure that "developments in science, policy and practice are understood, debated and approached in the collective way".

Many respondents made reference to the important role played by established networks and forums in facilitating knowledge exchange (e.g. Sustainable Scotland Network, Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges). Indeed, many raised concerns about the proposal outlined in the consultation document to cease Scottish Government funding of the Sustainable Scotland Network Secretariat.

"The action required to meet the new targets and address a climate emergency will require more capacity building, guidance and training, support and information sharing within the public sector. This will require a coordinated approach nationally which is currently provided through Sustainable Scotland Network's funded secretariat. The support that the secretariat coordinates and provides for the public sector is even more critical through the current climate crisis. Achieving the national net zero target is jeopardised by removing critical support to the body that convenes and supports the whole public sector on climate action".

South Lanarkshire Council

"COSLA is extremely concerned and disappointed by the Scottish Government's decision to cease funding for the secretariat of the Sustainable Scotland Network at a time of a climate emergency and prior to new structures that enable and support effective public sector collaboration being in place. Emergency responses require effective and efficient working across traditional boundaries. As such it is critical that there is an effective network and support structure for public sector bodies from 2020 onwards".

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)

Many respondents identified that there would be value in the provision of:

• Information on national and global initiatives, policy, legislation and investment frameworks that might impact on climate change action plans.
• Information and messaging around the need for emissions reductions and adaptation (and potential integration/synergies between the two).
• Information sessions/briefings on successful, innovative, leading-edge, transformative initiatives and approaches in mitigating and adapting to climate change, and in achieving a low carbon society. It was suggested that this could include "cost-effective" examples of practice elsewhere.
• While learning about what worked well was considered crucial, some respondents mentioned that there would also be valuable learning from understanding why actions/initiatives had been unsuccessful or had not progressed as planned.
• Information/training to develop a deeper understanding of carbon management, including skills in carbon accountancy, scenario modelling, carbon sequestration, and carbon offsetting schemes (e.g. standardised measurement toolkits).
• Information on pilot projects and best practice case studies produced by organisations of all sizes to inspire and stimulate ideas and action.
• Benchmarking information and data to allow progress across all public sector bodies to be reviewed.
• Information on how to use "whole Life Cycle Costing" as part of the investment decisions for capital projects. As well as guidance to ensure that major projects were adjusting for net zero (i.e. so that reduced energy consumption and renewables were the main factors in project plans).
• Information (training and guidance) should help public sector bodies to plan ahead (e.g. foresighting activity, emerging technologies).
• Information on emissions at organisational and area-of-responsibility levels, and on the impact of choices on emissions. Guidance to help public sector bodies assess the impact of their activities on climate change. Assessing these choices would be linked to access to data, the type of data collected, and how that data is used. It was felt that guidance would be needed on the role of data at different levels to target action.
• Information on developing organisational emissions inventories and access to better organisational information on emission sources to help inform action. Consideration could be given to where it would be more efficient to centralise the collation of data (the Scotland heat map and Home Analytics were perceived to be good examples). Guidance could also include the roles and responsibilities of the Scottish Government and other public bodies in managing data.

Training

There was generally considered to be an "urgent and pressing need" for training.

A common view was that "training is vital", would build a "shared understanding" and "collective capacity", and would "facilitate networks and collaborative working". Training was considered key to prioritisating climate change within public sector bodies, and helping organisations achieve the cultural and behavioral change needed to deliver on ambitious climate change targets.

These respondents felt that training and support was needed to encourage:

• Increased ambition within public sector bodies.
• A longer-term perspective to be taken (e.g. low-cost options at times have been favoured over environmentally-friendly options, embedding climate change in the concept of Best Value).
• Increased innovation, experimentation, and the development of creative solutions – a culture of thinking and doing things differently.
• Greater partnership working at a local and regional level (e.g. through Community Planning Partnerships, local sustainable development and climate change partnerships, local area/neighbourhood partnerships).

A number of respondents welcomed the development of the Climate Solutions qualification – "it may be useful in embedding climate change thinking further in public bodies through its target of middle and senior managers". However, there was wider recognition that "training can and should support and help to build capability and skills across the public sector, but it will not alone address the overarching lack of capacity many organisations and departments face".

There was recognition that senior managers would require training on "understanding the problem, the solutions, the policy, economic, financial and social drivers of change, understanding risks and opportunities, developing and agreeing plans and investment/resource allocation". And that training for middle managers was important as they "provide the link between senior managers and delivery on the ground".

A common concern raised was the targeting of training at middle and senior managers only, as reflected in the quotes below.

"….this might lead to a focus on top-down approach without public bodies bringing the whole workforce on board".

Prospect

"All public bodies, especially those in the High Ambition Climate Network, should be encouraged to have at least one senior staff member who has completed the qualification (or an equivalent) to champion this within the senior team."

EAUC-Scotland

"There is perception across some organisations that climate change action is something the sustainability officers deal with and is not seen as a corporate-wide issue".

South Lanarkshire Council

Some respondents felt that it would be important for analysis to be undertaken within public sector bodies to identify skills gaps, and that support might be needed to help organisations undertake this analysis.

There was a strong call for training to be mandatory for all individuals that have influence over climate emissions or whose work has an impact on climate change mitigation and adaptation – "not just environmental leads". And that training should be targeted at Corporate Management and Elected/Board Members on the impacts of climate change, and how to embed a responsive culture within organisations.

Some respondents felt that individuals who have responsibility for decisions and/or strategies that impact on emissions should be able to demonstrate that they have appropriate training and understanding. A suggestion made was that organisations could be asked to establish a matrix detailing the carbon responsibilities of all roles. This matrix could be used to inform the level of training and continuing professional development (CPD) required.

A few respondents suggested that consideration could be given to broadening the scope of engagement in the provision of training, information and guidance (e.g. contractors/others working in partnership or on behalf of public sector bodies).

Where specific types or training (skills or technical support) were identified, these have been clustered in Table 4.

Table 4: Types of Training, Skills and Technical Support Needed

Carbon and carbon literacy	Partnerships and enabling others
Carbon management and accounting	Approach to risk at organisation and project level (e.g. disruption impact/costs)
GHG emissions management and reporting	Behaviour and culture change
Data skills (e.g. climate impact assessment)	New technologies and innovative solutions
Sequestration opportunities	Commissioning external professional support
Adaptation risks and opportunities	Sustainable labs
Project level carbon impact, including storage, and adaptation assessment	Community engagement
Building business cases for investment and budget allocations	Creating and implementing adaptation plans
Sustainable and innovative finance and blended investment opportunities	Forecasting on grid decarbonisation to assist target setting
New models and opportunities and implementing change at scale	Inclusivity training
Climate equity and justice	Building contractors to build 'A' rated energy efficient houses

Wider comments on training focused on its content and delivery, for example:

• A continuing programme of training (rather than one-off) to maintain a level of knowledge within public sector bodies, and to take account of issues such as staff turnover.
• A programme of CPD alongside opportunities for mentoring and sharing knowledge.
• Training could be aligned with national and international standards (e.g. ISO14064, the suite of GHG Protocol standards, Global Covenant of Mayors standards were mentioned).
• Industry-led training was mentioned, as was involving public sector bodies in supporting the delivery of training (e.g. academic, research and/or scientific institutions).
• The importance of broad geographic coverage in terms of where training would take place (i.e. not only delivered in the central belt).
• The need for a mix of delivery methods (e.g. traditional classroom-based training, remote and online learning opportunities, online training portal).
• Training should be widely available throughout the public sector, accessible, relevant, inclusive, engaging and capable of being adapted for different parts of the public sector, areas or work, and roles.
• Training could be inwardly and outwardly focussed – importantly, it should lead to practical actions.
• Visual aids, documentaries and positive messaging/examples (e.g. wider economic and social benefits) were all considered to be impactful approaches.

Section 2

Collaboration across Public Sector Bodies

Context

There are various structures in place that connect public sector bodies at a strategic and operational level. The Global Climate Emergency means that the Scottish Government will need to look afresh at how they work, to ensure spending decisions and procedures support the required step-change in activity. As part of these considerations, Scottish Government financial support for the Sustainable Scotland Network Secretariat will cease when the current contract ends on 31^st March 2020. The Sustainable Scotland Network is for public sector professionals working on sustainable development and climate change.

The Scottish Government has proposed to put the following structures in place:

• The Scottish Government will ensure there is support for public sector bodies to complete their mandatory reporting duties. The Scottish Government will procure a contract for the support to be provided in time for the 2020 reporting round.
• The Scottish Government will establish a High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members in those public sector bodies who are committed to leading the way to a net-zero Scotland. The network will be focused on making strategic connections across the most ambitious public sector bodies, maximising the economic and social opportunities of reducing emissions, and tackling the challenges of emissions reduction in a way that makes action easier for all public bodies, communities and businesses. The core of the Network should be comprised of up to 15 of the most ambitious public sector bodies and meet twice a year. The meetings will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, and supported by a Senior Officials Group from across the bodies involved.
• It is important that all public sector bodies benefit from the Network. As such it is proposed to support an electronic forum of Chief Executives and Elected Members from all public sector bodies. This will be a place where lessons learned, opportunities and ideas can be shared and developed collaboratively.
• A National Forum on Climate Change will be created that brings together government, public sector bodies, the private sector, third sector organisations, and the wider public. The National Forum will aim to encourage collective, informed deliberation on ideas for systemic and wide-ranging climate action.

Q2. What are your views on the proposed structure for the High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members?

Overall, there was strong support in principle for the proposed High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members.

The establishment of a leadership group was considered to be a "positive way forward" and a "useful" mechanism through which to fully engage public sector leaders in discussions about accelerating action on climate change. The proposed Network was considered to have a pivotal role to play in "driving forward the actions and strategies of the public sector", "promoting action and innovation throughout the public sector", and raising "the profile of environmental issues across public bodies".

Strong, collective and visible climate leadership and delivery was considered essential. There was also support for the Network to have a focus on collaboration, action, sharing ideas and best practice.

"Fostering collective leadership, setting high-level ambitions and enabling joined-up policy and practice will be vital for accelerating and scaling-up action to tackle the climate emergency".

Soil Association Scotland

Many respondents touched on the importance of robust processes to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the High Ambition Climate Network. The main feedback was that the Network should have a clearly defined purpose and remit, roles and responsibilities, and expected outputs. Wider feedback highlighted the importance of the Network being action and outcome-oriented to ensure openness, transparency, and accountability. Continued top level involvement in the Network was also considered crucial.

The above points are reflected in the following quotes.

"We recognise the value of the network being targeted at CEO level. This will bring status and should generate buy-in to the need to reduce emissions across public bodies. It will be important to ensure CEO attendance and to ensure that the CEOs can authoritatively contribute on climate change matters".

Crown Estate Scotland

"Clear messages need to be sent from the highest level and be cascaded down to staff at all levels to make immediate changes".

Individual

"Attention also needs to be given to ensuring that attendance in the HACN does not get delegated down to senior officers, so that it can be effective".

NHS Lanarkshire

Many respondents called for the Scottish Government to provide more detail and greater clarity on the governance, management and/or operation of the Network. The range of comments provided covered the following points:

• Definitions and selection process
  • How "High Ambition" and "most ambitious public sector bodies" would be defined (e.g. what measures/criteria would be used).
• Membership composition, refresh and governance
  • How members would be selected (e.g. application process).
  • Membership should reflect the breadth and diversity of public sector bodies to ensure a greater understanding of the issues that different organisations might face.
  • Membership could include a mix of small (capacity/resources permitting) and large organisations, and organisations that could provide an urban and rural perspective.
  • Clarity on the process for reviewing/refreshing the Network's membership.
  • Clarity on the proposed lines of authority and how the Network would be governed and scrutinised.
• The nature and level of support and engagement with public sector bodies (and others) not directly involved in the Network
  • The level of support other public bodies (i.e. those not seen as having high ambition) would receive beyond the electronic forum for Chief Executives and Elected Members.
  • How the Network would relate to the wider network of Scottish public bodies in Scotland.
  • How the Network would drive an improvement and step-change in performance for all public bodies through partnership working.
  • How the Network would engage with the private and third sectors.
• Support provided to the Network and the role of expert advice
  • Many respondents commented on the Scottish Government proposal to end its financial support for the Sustainable Scotland Network Secretariat. There was strong support for consideration to be given to the role that the existing Sustainable Scotland Network Steering Group could play in supporting or complementing the High Ambition Climate Network.
  • There should be recognition of the ongoing need for specialist expert involvement and advice for the Network (e.g. to ensure proposed actions were reasonable, proportionate and could be adequately resourced, to aid the Network's credibility/accountability, members might not have the appropriate scientific and technical ability).
  • Engagement with other structures
  • How the Network would link/interact with other relevant structures and partnerships. Specific reference was made to the proposed structures within the consultation document (i.e. electronic forum, National Forum on Climate Change) and other existing structures (e.g. Just Transition Committee, Scottish Leaders Forum, Public Bodies Delivery Group, Scottish Energy Officers Network, Adaptation Learning Exchange, SLAED).
  • A few references were made regarding a perceived "crowded landscape" - ensuring no duplication and minimising the potential for confusion were key points raised.

Most respondents raised concerns about the proposed structure and frequency of meetings for the High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members.

Firstly, many respondents raised concerns about the Network only comprising of up to 15 of the most ambitious public sector bodies. There was acknowledgement of the need to keep the Network to a manageable size, however, the proposed membership was considered to be too narrow. Particular concerns were raised around how the large number of other public sector bodies not involved in the Network would be encouraged and mobilised to meet their obligations, and play their part in delivering on the scale and pace of transformational change needed to tackle the climate emergency.

This point is reflected in the respondent quotes below.

"We are concerned that establishing a High Ambition network could lead to a two-tier system for public bodies, where those bodies which need more support, namely those which are not setting high ambitions, end up receiving less. Instead, we would recommend the creation of a network which provides a forum for the sharing of leading practice, information and learning. We do recognise that there is a huge variety within the public bodies, so it may be useful to create sub-groups of similar bodies which can collaborate and share information specific to their needs".

Creative Scotland

"It risks excluding voices from the conversation by only including the most ambitious of public sector bodies".

Individual

"The proposed structure seems logical in order to have a reasonable sized group, however the downside of only including 'high ambition' bodies is that there is even less impetus for 'low ambition' bodies to get up to speed - ideally low ambition bodies would then be mandated to replicate the actions and outcomes of the high ambition bodies".

Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges

"Tactran supports the High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members, but has concerns about how the outputs from this are disseminated through the public sector and also how this group would be used to encourage other organisations that may not have expertise and resources to achieve high ambitions. This cannot be just for those organisations that are fully on-board, equipped and resourced to have high ambitions, but also include those who may require a performance improvement, cultural change and a re-focus of organisational objectives in regard to climate change".

Tactran

"We are concerned that the HACN will engage only a small portion of the public sector, leaving those who are not the highest performing behind. In addition, public sector leaders do not always have the expertise to fully understand the challenge and potential solutions. The barriers to reaching net zero will be most apparent to the practitioners tasked with its implementation, and it is vital that practitioners have a way to discuss and identify shared challenges for discussion by the HACN".

EAUC-Scotland

"No one should be left behind in this endeavour and 15 of the hundreds of public bodies in Scotland is a very small number of organisations. The proposed core membership will already be doing the most ambitious action and it is perhaps those that are not doing enough who need to be motivated. It is unclear to us how those with the least ambition will be taken on the journey as well and take action in the face of climate change".

Woodland Trust Scotland

A wider point raised about membership of the Network related to the inclusion of Elected Members, as illustrated by the following quote.

"The inclusion of elected members could skew this towards local authorities which, although heavily involved in Climate Change, are not sole actors. If this is too biased to local authorities then it runs the risk of becoming a 'local authority problem' at the expense of other players. SSN provides an excellent forum of practitioners in climate change and adaptation where knowledge is shared and experience gained, this High Ambition network runs the risk of being too much discussion and too little action".

Individual

Secondly, a common concern raised related to the proposal that the Network would meet twice a year. Most considered this to be insufficient. The main concerns raised by these respondents were:

• The ability of the Network to drive significant action across the public sector if it only met twice yearly. This concern was typically linked to an earlier point that Chief Executives and Elected Members do not carry out the work required to achieve net-zero emissions, and the need for a supporting structure of Senior Officials to ensure that work is followed through on.
• That the Network should meet more often to keep momentum going, be progressive, and to achieve the radical change needed.
• The ability of the Network to keep up-to-date with changes in technologies and legislation if it only met biannually.

Further feedback emphasised the importance of the Network having a clear mechanism through which to provide consistent messaging and to share lessons across all public sector bodies and staff at all levels. Ensuring strong connections were made and regular opportunities for knowledge exchange were perceived to be crucial.

While there was strong support for the Network and the electronic forum of Chief Executives and Elected Members from all public sector bodies, many respondents perceived that the proposals could leave a "significant gap in support at practitioner level", leading to a potential "disconnect from on the ground projects".

There was limited feedback from respondents that membership of the Network should involve broader representation of staff at different levels (e.g. strategic and operational). Rather, the most common feedback was that there could be value in having a senior officers/practitioners group, or delivery group or network of professionals to discuss operational challenges, to support and inform the Network, and to provide a secretariat role to ensure well-informed input and discussion to support and enact decisions. There was strong support for continuation of an officers' group/network in some shape or form.

Having a "network at the level where change will be implemented" was considered of equal importance to the establishment of the High Ambition Climate Network of Chief Executives and Elected Members. The general view was that the leadership network would need to connect directly with practitioners to ensure decisions were quickly translated into action. There was wide-ranging feedback on the role that the existing Sustainable Scotland Network could play.

These points are reflected in the respondent quotes below.

"..regardless of their level of engagement, Chief Executives and Elected Members do not carry out the work required to achieve net-zero emissions. Therefore, the HACN must be underpinned by a strong supporting structure of Senior Officials who can ensure that work is actually followed through".

Scottish Ambulance Service

"In parallel with this network, the Council would welcome an officer network for all public bodies to learn from each other, share opportunities and engage in collaboration. The Council would wish to have further clarity on how this will build upon work already underway via existing (wider) officer networks such as the SSN and Adaptation Scotland programmes".

Glasgow City Council

"While it makes sense to augment our individual and collective efforts by ensuring the engagement of key strategic leaders and decision-makers in our organisations, linking them to technical understanding of the issues, and those who are most expert on the subject in their organisations is a matter of practical sense. SSN provides a ready-made network in this respect, which it would make more sense to augment and build upon than to discontinue".

Scottish Borders Council

"The public sector already has an invaluable, robust and successful network – Sustainable Scotland Network – which provides capacity building, knowledge exchange, cross-sector collaboration, and senior practitioner leadership across the public sector. Achieving net-zero emissions targets could be jeopardised by removing critical support to the body that convenes and supports the whole public sector on climate action. Adaptation Scotland, through its Adaptation Learning Exchange, provides an excellent mechanism for this on adaptation, providing insight and support for organisations to move their responses forward, and we would support something similar being retained or developed for mitigation".

Climate Ready Clyde

There was support in principle for the proposed development of an electronic forum of Chief Executives and Elected Members from all public sector bodies.

The importance of keeping those public sector bodies' Chief Executives and Elected Members not involved in the Network regularly updated was emphasised. It was considered vital that the "ambition and leadership demonstrated in the High Ambition Climate Network is shared". The sharing of knowledge, ideas, successes, failures, opportunities, lessons learned, and progress were welcomed.

Common feedback from respondents on the electronic forum highlighted the following points:

• Concerns were raised around limited membership of the electronic forum, and more specifically around how information would be filtered down to officer level staff. The sharing of information and ideas among staff at all levels was considered essential.
• Wider concerns were raised around the use of an electronic forum on its own to motivate and mobilise public sector bodies not involved in the High Ambition Climate Network. And in particular among those bodies that might require more support to implement and accelerate action.
• Questions were also raised around whether an electronic forum would be a sufficient mechanism through which to disseminate information and learning from a leadership level down to other key members of staff throughout public sector bodies – and to mobilise the delivery of actions.
• Some respondents requested further clarity on how the electronic forum would differ from similar online networks and forums, and/or suggested that existing mechanisms could be used (e.g. the Knowledge Hub).
• As such, there was broad support for additional mechanisms such as technical support, mentoring, training and peer-to-peer networking, including some face-to-face support.
• Some respondents emphasised that the electronic forum would need to be adequately resourced to ensure that its content remained relevant and up-to-date, and that information was shared and organised in a way which was accessible, inspiring and well-used.
• There were many references made to the similar role that the Sustainable Scotland Network currently provided, and an aspiration that this could continue.

"Rather than reinventing the wheel and setting up a new support structure for the HACN, it would seem sensible and cost-effective for the existing SSN Steering Group and secretariat to provide that function. The SSN would also be best placed to provide an electronic platform for information sharing, guidance, reports, etc".

NHS Scotland Environmental Sustainability Group

The creation of the National Forum on Climate Change was also welcomed.

There was recognition across the feedback that "public sector bodies alone cannot tackle the climate crisis", and strong support was expressed for the National Forum to have a broad membership of individuals and organisations from different sectors (i.e. public, private and third sectors).

The main feedback was that it would be important to build and strengthen relationships across sectors, and to explore opportunities for greater collaboration and innovation. Wider points related to the importance of the National Forum having a clearly defined purpose and remit, and being sufficiently resourced.

"A group that is tasked with enhancing collaboration is therefore a good idea, but such action needs to be properly resourced and prioritised. Simply learning from each other will not suffice".

Creative Carbon Scotland

"There needs to be a concerted effort where responsibilities are shared between organisations in the public, private and voluntary Sectors and that the innovation and drive of civil society in particular is encouraged and Supported".

The City of Edinburgh Council

"It is important that recognition is given to everyone's role in addressing climate change, and while this may be partially achieved through the proposed Citizens Assembly, other opportunities to engage with as wide a cross-section of society as possible should be considered on an ongoing basis".

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

Finally, a few respondents made reference to the Scottish Government's proposal to procure a contract to ensure there was support for public sector bodies to complete their mandatory reporting duties (for the 2020 reporting round).

The main comments were as follows:

• Further clarity would be required on what the support would look like in practice.
• A question was posed around whether there would be scope for public sector body representatives to be involved in design of the Invitation to Tender (e.g. to learn the lessons from the previous contract).
• Concerns were raised about the proposal by the Scottish Government to cease financial support for the Sustainable Scotland Network Secretariat.

"The support that successive Scottish Government departments have given to SSN has been in some ways a polar opposite enabling a significant degree of support and coordination across the whole public sector.

Whilst setting a separate mechanism to support reporting is useful and will be increasingly important for the future if we are to properly understand the progress or otherwise that being achieved by the public sector, I am unsure that this would have the resource to provide the training and support delivered by SSN in the past and particularity as the future reporting mechanisms will have to evolve to meet the wider community/public sector partnership approach which will be needed to deliver change of the scale required.

The loss of SSN will be badly felt across the Public sector and in all likelihood would be a short-term decision as an organisation that actively served as an interface between in the public sector and Scottish Government is critical. In the past the active regular engagement between the lead department(s) at Scottish Government and SSN was a crucial reason for the buy in of public bodies to the climate agenda".

Individual