Policy context
Underlying principles - sustainable development
The regional economic strategy sets out targets and priorities to make the East of England an exemplar in sustainable economic growth. In so doing, it understands the complex effects of economic growth and reflects a responsibility to promote and enhance the environmental, economic and social well-being of everyone in the East of England, both now and for future generations. The strategy has therefore adopted the shared UK principles of sustainable development, as set out in the national strategy Securing the Future.
The emerging Integrated Sustainability Framework (ISF) provides a regional slant to these principles. It identifies overarching objectives for sustainable development to inform strategy development in the East of England. These are to:
- promote sustainable growth within environmental limits
- reduce poverty and inequality and promote social inclusion
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- adapt to the impacts of climate change
- promote employment, learning, skills and innovation
- increase resource efficiency and reduce resource use and waste
- conserve, restore and enhance the region's natural and built environment
- move goods and people sustainably
- meet the needs of the changing regional demographic
- provide decent, affordable and safe homes for all.
The application of the shared UK principles of sustainable development to the RES has been tailored to reflect the objectives of the ISF. They inform the strategy as follows:
Living within environmental limits - mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment and reducing the region's ecological footprint will be critical to the sustainability of the East of England. The need to address this principle is embedded within the goals of the strategy (see the Underlying principles appendix) and headline regional ambitions (in the aspirations around water usage and reducing CO2 emissions).
Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society - the region has real strength in the most vital factor for modern economies - the human capital offered by our greatest asset, the East of England's people. However, the ambitions of the RES can only be achieved if we address current inequalities and the region's diverse communities are enabled to contribute to, and share in, the benefits of economic growth. This will require understanding and addressing the needs of the region's changing demography in areas such as housing, public services, education and skills development. The contribution of each goal to this principle is summarised in the Underlying principles appendix.
Achieving a sustainable economy - the regional economic strategy sets out targets and priorities to achieve the stable, long-term growth and competitiveness of the East of England.
Promoting good governance - the leadership, governance and delivery section of this strategy sets out principles for developing regional and sub-regional governance to better deliver sustainable economic growth.
Using sound science responsibly - the principle of using a sound evidence base to inform policy and decision-making has been applied throughout the strategy development process. The regional economic strategy is accompanied by a robust evidence base, which has assessed the viability of each of the priorities set out in the strategy.