14
Local Authorities and Sustainable Peatland Management: Current Opportunities and Future Possibilities for Local Approaches
Local authorities also have significant power to take discretionary action to support SPM. It is important to distinguish core and discretionary functions of local authorities because the former will necessarily take priority, especially in situations of limited funding. That said, external funding sources are also available for discretionary activities and local authorities have a long history of developing innovative action to address the challenges facing local communities. In exercising all of their functions, whether core or discretionary, local authorities are guided by general duties to promote, plan and report on the wellbeing of future generations and biodiversity/ecosystems resilience. SPM is relevant to all of Wales’ statutory wellbeing goals and essential to the development of ecosystems resilience so these general duties can also support SPM. These general duties also reflect Welsh Government’s priorities for government and key policies on climate change and nature recovery, including the response to international agreements. Welsh Government policy is also important in guiding discretionary action by local authorities and there is evidence that this will increasingly highlight the significance of SPM to the work of local authorities. In addition, these policy imperatives underline funding priorities which are also sign i ficant to the development of discretionary action by local authorities.
Figure 8 The Significance of SPM to the Work of Local Authorities.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5