25 Elements (Local Government)

An assessment of how integrated SD is within the council's strategic objectives, internal function and external service level responsibilities. The Sustainability Audit Matrix (SAM) makes an assessment of the following areas:

Strategic Integration

1. Towards Sustainability (Policy)
Assessment of how sustainable development is integrated across the organisation by reviewing relevant policies and plans together with assessing how SD integration is monitored, reported and reviewed.

2. Commitment and Integration
Assessment of how committed the organisation is to the principles of SD and the level of integration within all council departments and their functions. The framework for SD within the organisation will also be assessed.

3. Embedding at Corporate Level
Assessment of how SD is integrated within the Corporate Plan, how this transfers to the organisations activities and what impact SD has when making decisions regarding budgets.

4. Embedding at Service Level
Assessment of how departments within the organisation have aligned SD to their functions. Assessment also of how significantly SD is featured within departmental strategies, plans and budgets.

5. Communication and Capacity Building
Assessment of how SD skills pool within the organisation has been determined and what plans have been initiated to improve and continuously monitor these.

6. Participation and Community Planning
Assessment of how the council involves local communities in strategic decision making and how it takes account of community needs.

7. Measurement and Review
Assessment of how SD is measured reported and reviewed within the organisation, as well as how this information feeds back into other strategies and the corporate planning process.

Internal Cross-Cutting Integration

8. Green Purchasing
Assessment of how 'green' purchasing is incorporated within the tendering process, how the sustainability credentials of both suppliers and goods are
assessed, and what monitoring is undertaken to ensure all departments are following recommended organisational procedure.

9. Energy Management
Assessment of how the organisation is monitoring energy usage. What steps have been taken to reduce energy consumption across all properties and how this knowledge is being transferred to the community.

10. Transport
Assessment of how transportation is being managed to reduce carbon footprint and fuel conservation - both fleet vehicles and staff mileage.

11. Waste Management
Assessment of the organisations strategy for reducing waste generated from its own activities and how this is monitored, reported and reviewed.

12. Land and Property Management
Assessment of how land and property are managed with regard to environmental pollutants and increasing biodiversity. Reviewing how activities within the organisation contribute to the development of a holistic 'green spaces plan'.

13. Capacity Building
Assessment of how SD is promoted within the organisation and the level of understanding of the issues demonstrated by the staff.

14. Environmental Management
Assessment of any formal or informal EMS the council has developed either for individual departments or organisation wide.

15. Corporate Management (HR, Finance, H&S, Administration)
Assessment of how SD is integrated through various council functions including administration, human resources, health & safety, finance, information technology etc.

External Service Level Integration

16. Biodiversity
Assessment of how biodiversity is monitored, enhanced and promoted within the council area.

17. Waste Management
Assessment of how the council manages waste produced by its communities and what steps have been taken to reduce, reuse and recycle within the principles of SD.

18. Leisure/Sports/Recreation and Culture
Assessment of how the principles of SD have been incorporated into this function with particular regard to linkages between leisure provision and healthy communities.

19. Sustainable Communities
Assessment of how well community development has integrated with SD in community participation, improved services, and economic development opportunities.

20. Environmental Health
Assessment of how this function goes beyond its statutory responsibility via outreach to the community, forward planning for climate change and securing environmental justice.

21. Economic Development
Assessment of economic development strategies, outreach programmes and training opportunities in relation to SD, social economy organisations and areas of greater disadvantage.

22. Tourism
Assessment of how SD principles are integrated with tourism strategies to incorporate sustainable transport, facilities and encouragement of SD principles within new hospitality / tourism businesses.

23. Building Control
Assessment of how SD is promoted in building design within the council area including monitoring up take of onsite micro generation of renewable energy.

24. Cleaner, Safer, Greener
Assessment of how the organisation promotes and measures cleanliness standards of the council area and how community safety partnerships have been developed to reduce anti-social behaviour.

25. Sustainability Education
Assessment of the level and quality of ESD including co-ordinated approach used between different departmental education programmes. Review of how the impact of ESD is measured, reviewed, promoted and improved.