Strategic priorities

UKELA's Council has prepared and adopted a series of strategic plans to guide the work of the Association. These are used to develop an annual work programme, which is regularly monitored and reviewed. A report is then prepared and published each calendar year. The annual report is one of the key matters considered each year at the Annual General Meeting of the Association, held at the annual conference every summer.

Strategic priorities 2009-2012

The six priorities of UKELA adopted as part of the current strategic plan are as follows:

Make UKELA’s interventions more influential across the range of its activities
This focuses on the day to day delivery of existing and new Environmental Laws within the
plan period. The key topics for focus are: planning, climate change, regulatory enforcement,
access to justice, possible Bill of Rights.
Key to ensuring all these deliver a better environment are:
the working parties and their paid support; the patrons; targeted events, responses to key
consultations; and proactive engagement with decision makers.

Provide relevant and up to date information to the public in a manner that’s accessible and user-friendly
One of UKELA’s charitable objects is to provide information to the public about environmental
law and a lot of work has been carried out to deliver this over the last 2 plan periods. Now is
the time to consolidate this work and move to the next stage, finalising Law and Your
Environment and entering into outreach work with targeted communities (particularly in
deprived areas).

Modernise member engagement
This aim is to make sure that all members can access UKELA’s member services in a way
that suits them. This will range from paper communications for older members, to mobile
phone communications for younger members and providing events attractive to everyone.
And it includes improving payment systems and events. Current ways of servicing the
membership are included within this aim: the annual conference; the Garner lecture; e-law;
members’ information on www.ukela.org.

Broaden the membership base
This aims to make sure UKELA has a diverse and growing membership base.

Review whether environmental law is working effectively to deliver a better environment
It is arguable that Environmental Law is not working effectively and so is failing to deliver
policy objectives and a good quality environment in some areas. Issues might include the
Environmental Liability Directive and Part IIA, and issues which require international effort
and agreement, like climate change and sustainable fisheries. This review will focus on
the law’s effectiveness in delivering desired environmental and policy outcomes.

Ensure the management and leadership of UKELA continues to comply with best practice in good governance and is statutorily compliant having regard to the current economic climate
Council will enter the plan period with a group set up to consider the risks of the credit crunch
on UKELA. It has a comprehensive set of written guidance in the operational guidelines which
will be kept up to date and accessible to all who need it.