§ Jeremy CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what 575W information on the work of Local Agenda 21 groups is received in her Department; and what efforts are made to consolidate their views [79635]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government monitored progress on Local Agenda 21 (LA21) until the end of 2000. By then over 93 per cent. of local authorities in England and Wales had LA21 strategies in place. There had also been a number of studies into LA21 in the UK. The Local Government Act 2000 placed a duty on local authorities to prepare community strategies for promoting the economic, social and environmental well being of their communities and contributing to sustainable development in the UK. The Government's statutory guidance says that authorities should build on the experience of partnership working and community engagement gained through LA21. The Government does not require authorities to submit their community strategies. However, there is a Best Value Performance Indicator which monitors authorities' timetable for preparing community strategies whilst checking that they adhere to the key aims and components set out in the guidance.