New strategy to help drive nature's recovery in Lancashire
Lancashire County Council has agreed to take on the lead role as the Responsible Authority for Lancashire as part of a new England-wide system, which will help the environment in the face of challenges including climate change and biodiversity loss.
The county council, working with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils, will lead the preparation of a Lancashire Nature Recovery Strategy. These strategies help communities to map out the action needed in their area to restore nature, working closely with local stakeholders, from farmers to schoolchildren.
In March, the government set out the process that 48 authorities will follow and granted initial funding for preparatory work from a shared £14million funding pot. In Lancashire, this was used to recruit a project officer to start work on developing the strategy.
The provisional plans were given the go-ahead by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Friday, June 30.
Cllr Shaun Turner, cabinet member for environment and climate change said: "Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a new, England-wide system which will establish priorities and map out proposals to help drive the recovery of nature and provide wider environmental benefits.
"Lancashire, with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen, has been identified as an area for the preparation of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Lancashire County Council has agreed to take on the lead role as the Responsible Authority.
"We are thrilled that Lancashire will benefit directly from this and it’s a further example of the success of joint working between Lancashire's local authorities. Working alongside Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils, together with Lancashire's 12 district councils, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Natural England in their Supporting Authority role, these new duties and powers will help to strengthen the conservation of the county's valuable habitats and species, and improve public access to nature.
"It is a very exciting collaborative strategy and it will be fantastic to see the plans to enhance biodiversity in our outstanding county."