OEP: good start on greening policy, but more to do

There are positive early signs that a key legal obligation, designed to put the environment at the heart of government policy making, is being supported by Government, but more needs to be done. That’s according to a report from the Office for Environmental Protection, reviewing the implementation of the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS).

The EPPS requires ministers in all departments to apply five green principles when they design and implement policy: integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays and the precautionary principle.

The OEP found there has been good preparation and development of processes to support implementation of the EPPS duty since it came into effect in November 2023, but key elements are missing.

It called for strong government leadership to strengthen the EPPS and help drive progress towards Government’s legally binding environment targets, commitments and goals, such as those in the Environmental Improvement Plan.

It further noted, in light of the Government’s growth mission, that if fully embedded across Government, the EPPS would be a vehicle to balance growth and green commitments. Chair Dame Glenys Stacey commented: “Wherever polices that may have an impact on the environment are being developed – in transport, planning and infrastructure, for example – the environment must by law be considered from the very beginning, and throughout… The EPPS can be a useful tool for Government, as it strives to deliver its growth ambitions but must at the same time meet legally binding environmental targets.”

Specifically, the OEP recommended the Government update the EPPS and incorporate it into the Treasury’s Green Book and other cross-departmental guidance.

It also called for transparency, and recommended EPPS assessments and evaluations are published.

• Dame Glenys has written to the secretary of states for housing and environment, Angela Rayner and Steve Reed, regarding the Planning Reform Working Paper on development and nature recovery. Among her suggestions, she pressed the importance of the EPPS in taking the work forward.