Steering Group picks up the pace
Coming out of the summer, the SSN Steering Group has been meeting on a monthly basis, to keep the SSN moving forward at a pace. Meetings have been packed with substantial updates and developments, despite the lack of coffee and working-lunches that previous face-to-face meetings would provide.
August and September saw the Steering Group hone the SSN Strategy, which was launched at our recent national event. The strategy outlines our focus on accelerating public sector climate action towards net zero places, influencing net zero indirect emissions and developing pathways to net zero public sector organisations.
The Steering Group has also addressed and lent support to, a range of initiatives including:
- Reform of Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting, including the introduction by the Scottish Government of a new Scottish Statutory Instrument to add new aspects to next year’s reporting;
- Advice on managing this year’s public bodies climate change reports;
- Climate Week 2020;
- COP26, which is now a standing item, and supporting activities in November to mark One Year to COP26;
- The Programme for Government, and new policy and investment developments relevant to public sector action on the green recovery and net zero emissions;
- Net Zero Plans within the public sector, including the recently published Scottish Water Net Zero Plan;
- Case study development to help share professional experience throughout the SSN membership;
- SSN engagement in leadership groups including the Scottish Leaders Forum, Climate Emergency Action Group, and the cross-sector Climate Emergency Response Group.
The Steering Group support and advice on these and other policy and practice issues continue to provide vital member-leadership for SSN and its staff team. The Steering Group meetings also provide an important opportunity to engage with Scottish Government officials and to share updates across the public sector, with regular inputs from COSLA, EAUC-Scotland, the NHS and Public Health Scotland, and national public bodies.
The SSN Steering Group meets again on 7th October. This meeting will create space to develop the SSN operation plan and proposals for implementing the SSN Strategy, to look forward to COP26-related activities in more detail, to discuss the future of the Climate Emergency Action Group, and to focus in on the lessons from Scottish Water’s Net Zero Plan and how this can be shared with other public bodies to help foster coordinated and common approaches. More on all this will be shared in future newsletters.
If SSN members would like to raise any issues for consideration by the SSN Steering Group (SSNsteeringgroup@ed.ac.uk), please contact one of the Steering Group members directly, or get in touch with the SSN team.