We perceive the key sustainable development priorities for the East of England to be:

• Embedding sustainable development in a 'big society'
• The region’s particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change
• Pressure to accommodate major population and economic growth
• The persistence of inequality and social exclusion despite the region’s overall economic prosperity

'Big society' - embedding sustainable development at the local level:

As the new Coalition Government plans emerge, Sustainability East will consider the likely impact of a radical devolution of power to local government and community groups on the region’s sustainability. We will consult with key stakeholders, including local authorities, on how we can best work with them to embed the principles of sustainable development. 

Climate Change:

The region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As well as having a long, soft coastline and large areas of low-lying land, the land is also sinking very slowly due to geological processes. These characteristics make the region extremely vulnerable to a rise in sea level, affecting both the rural landscape and coastal communities. Climate change will cause loss of land and property, affect water supplies, and have major implications for agriculture and food production, biodiversity and vulnerable historic sites.

One of the biggest challenges facing the region is water management. Water is vital to the region’s growth and well-being. Some areas are extremely dry, receiving only two-thirds of the UK’s average rainfall. At the other extreme, flooding is a major concern for coastal as well as many inland communities. Furthermore, climate change is expected to bring greater extremes. Summers will be drier and winters wetter, resulting in more droughts and more floods. This will have major effects on business and industry in the region, especially food production and processing, as well as settlement and population growth predictions.

Sustainability East sees climate change as a cross cutting theme. We will seek to embed climate change mitigation and adaptation in all aspects of our work, helping to generate further knowledge and action to enable the region to respond more effectively to the effects of climate change.

Growth and delivering sustainable communities:

The East of England is under pressure to accommodate major growth, which could stretch infrastructure beyond capacity, damage the countryside and threaten the region’s biodiversity. The region’s population is expected to increase to around six million by 2021 (EEDA, 2007) and half a million new homes are planned to meet the associated demand for housing.

The region’s transport infrastructure is already under strain. All existing non-local transport networks are at, or rapidly approaching, full capacity, threatening the economic vitality of the region. Furthermore, a lack of accessible local transport in some areas can affect quality of life and exacerbate poverty and social exclusion. At the same time, transport is responsible for a large proportion of the region’s carbon emissions. Delivering s ustainable transport, both for people and goods, poses a major challenge for the region as it aspires to deliver sustainable growth.

The East of England faces many other strategic challenges in meeting its growth targets in a sustainable way, including:

• The need to live within the resource and ecosystem functioning limits of the natural environment
• Ensuring low carbon growth
• Ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are spread across the region, particularly to communities facing problems of deprivation and peripherality
• Addressing the development consequences of scarce water resources, and rising sea levels for coastal and low lying areas as a result of climate change
• Delivering housing growth and sustainable communities within a changing institutional structure
• Combating skills deficits
• Promoting more sustainable aspirations and attitudes.

In response to these challenges Sustainability East will lobby for sustainable development thinking to be fully reflected in policy regarding the region’s economy.

Inequality and social exclusion:

A significant number of people experience inequality and social exclusion. Pockets of quite severe deprivation are found across the region, particularly in Norfolk and Suffolk. It is estimated that 22% of children and 25% of pensioners in the region live in poverty (OSEP , 2006 ).

Low income and discrimination are important determinants of exclusion and inequality, with some groups being particularly at risk. These include some pensioners, lone parent families, workless households, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and disabled people. The region has the largest Traveller community in England, which experiences significantly poorer health than other UK residents.

There are many people in the region with poor skills. Around 700,000 people have poor literacy and numeracy skills and, in certain districts, over 20% of the working age population have no qualifications (OSEP , 2006 ). Adults with poor skills can find themselves and their families excluded from advantages others take for granted.

Over recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of migrant workers coming to the East of England, contributing to the region’s economic success. However, research has uncovered appalling examples of exploitation and less favourable treatment of these workers in the region (EEDA, 2005).

Sustainability East recognises that persisting inequality and social exclusion is incompatible with a sustainable future for the East of England. Not only do deprived communities experience disproportionate levels of environmental degradation, there is a growing body of evidence that social exclusion constrains the development of environmentally friendly attitudes (Environment Agency, 2004) . The socially excluded are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We will therefore seek and champion integrated policies and developments which help to tackle both social exclusion and environmental problems.