Sustainable development team - what we do

What does the sustainable development team do?

We help to ensure that environmental issues are given equal consideration alongside social and economic factors and reflected appropriately within council policy. 

We lead the development of policies, strategies, and plans to ensure that the council meets its requirements with regards to sustainable development.  Specifically, our Environmental Policy acts as an umbrella for other plans and policies on topics such as biodiversity, coastal management, environmental management and inland waterways. 

We work with  internal and external partners to help them to contribute to the enhancement of the East Riding’s environment for the benefit of all.  We also work to ensure that the council’s corporate priorities are taken forwards, particularly the  ‘Valuing our Environment’ corporate priority.

Which areas of work does Sustainable Development cover?

Our team's work covers policy, strategy and partnership development in the following areas:

• Sustainable communities
• Environmental management
• Climate change
• Fairtrade
• Coastal management
• Nature conservation and wildlife
• Inland waterways

What key policies does the Sustainable Development team lead on?

We have developed and implemented an Environmental Policy to help set priorities and guide the work of the council.  The Environmental Policy covers all aspects of the council's environmental work and helps to guide us towards continuous environmental improvement.

Our other policies and plans on topics such as biodiversity, waste management, and environmental management include the East Riding of Yorkshire Biodiversity Action Plan and the Shoreline Management Plan.  Just like additional documents held by other teams, our plans and policies help to deliver the priorities of the Environmental Policy.

We recognise that council operations and service delivery can affect the environment both at a local level and in a wider context.  We are committed, where practicable, to reducing our effects by managing our own environmental impacts, encouraging and supporting others to do the same and continuously improving the environment for the benefit of residents, employees, businesses, and visitors to the East Riding of Yorkshire. 

How does the council work with others on sustainable development issues?

We work with internal and external partners at various levels through a number of partnerships based around specific work areas/topics.  Each work area has its own arrangements for partnership working, as shown on its respective pages.  Existing partnerships include:

•   The East Riding of Yorkshire Biodiversity Partnership

• The Local Wildlife Sites Panel

• The East and North Yorkshire Waterways Partnership (external east Riding website)(which covers most of the East Riding and part of North Yorkshire in Ryedale and Scarborough).

Our sustainable development team works in partnership with other council teams to improve our environmental performance, using an environmental management system.  The team also responds to appropriate national and local consultations.

Read more about how we work with our partners on sustainable development issues.