Thinking global, acting local? British local authorities and their environmental plans

Abstract

With the increasing globalisation of environmental policy‐making it might be expected that the traditionally strong role of British local authorities would be weakening. Yet local authorities have been extremely active in promoting their role as local environmental guardians. In particular there has been a widespread emergence since the late 1980s of local environmental plans that attempt to highlight and co‐ordinate local authorities’ environmental roles. When the emergence of such documents is viewed in the context of agenda‐setting theory, which examines how, why, when, and which issues come to receive consideration from decision‐makers, and who is responsible for putting them on agendas, the evidence suggests that local environmental plans emerge from a myriad of often contradictory pressures. Local authorities are attempting to marry both their traditional compartmentalised approach to environmental problems with pressure from some environmental interest groups and internal policy activists, demanding a more holistic approach to newer global environmental issues. Moreover, at the same time central government is curbing local authorities’ ability to act by fragmenting their power and imposing financial controls.