The overarching aim of LRAP is that by 2011 it will have facilitated, “at the regional and local level, a robust approach to identifying and managing the risks and opportunities of unavoidable climate change in a co-ordinated and consultative way”
The board membership includes representatives from the Environment Agency, Regional Climate Change Partnerships, CLG, DEFRA, Regional Development Agencies, Government Offices, Local Authorities, the Local Government Association, LSPs, Natural England, the Nottingham Declaration Partnership and the UK Climate Impact Programme.
LRAP is keen to work with existing programmes and partnerships and wishes to hear from any group who have developed work that could be joined up with other regions across the UK. To find out more click here to contact the LRAP programme manager.
LRAP Work Programme
In addition to running workshops and producing guidance LRAP is actively engaged in the following work programmes-
NI 188 Self Assessment Matrix- This project developed a self assessment matrix for Local Authorities, which is designed to assist them in gauging their progress towards adapted communities. Click here to see the matrix.
To support the roll out of the self-assessment tool, LRAP has been working with the Government Offices for the Regions to run a series of workshops for Local Authorities on how to use it.
PACT- With the assistance of LRAP funding, Hampshire County Council have developed the Performance ACceleration Tool (PACT) to help to identify both public and private sector organisations’ adaptive capacity. The PACT tool is an online expert system supported by trained assessors, and external verifiers who gauge an organisations performance in 9 key areas necessary for progress in adapting to climate change participants can not only assess what level they have reached with respect to NI 188 but also receive a road map charting areas of strength and weakness and identifying what actions are needed to improve. The programme is currently being piloted with four local authorities and a business in Hampshire. A report analysing its success will be presented to the LRAP board in June and options for rolling it more widely will be considered.
Adaptation Guides for Town and Parish Councils - In 2007, Defra published ‘Ways to tackle Climate Change’ for use by the town and parish council sector. LRAP is currently funding the development of further materials for this sector, specifically looking at potential climate impacts and how to plan for the threats and opportunities these bring; this will be published toward the latter half of 2009.
Case Study Guides - This project is designed to identify models of best practice of local authority action on adapting to climate change in order to build a picture of the type of steps that might be required to achieve higher levels of NI 188. The case studies will be published in Summer 09
Sector Studies - These will focus on key adaptation issues for Local Authority services such as transport planning, emergency planning and environmental health. New sectoral issues papers will be developed in association with local authority professional bodies. This project is being led by the Nottingham Declaration Partnership and the first sector papers will be published in summer 09.
LCLIP Review - A Local Climate Impacts Profile is compiled using information sources such as local newspaper archives, that enable local authorities to better understand their exposure to weather and climate impacts. It is based on evidence of a locality’s vulnerability to severe weather events and in particular how these events affected a local community as well as the authority’s assets and capacity to deliver services. LRAP is funding a review of LCLIPs which are either completed or in progress across the UK, in order to reflect upon the approaches that have been used and how these documents are being used. This project is being led by UKCIP and the final report is due May 09
Contacts and links
For further information on LRAP’s work please click here to contact the LRAP programme manager
