SSN Quarterly Meetings
The Sustainable Scotland Network supports local authorities' delivery of sustainable development through a programme of Quarterly Meetings. Quarterlies focus on issues of critical importance and practical relevance to our members.
This page contains information on forthcoming meetings, and downloadable presentations and reports from past quarterlies.
Ideas and learning from some of SSN's Quarterly Meetings have been captured in a series of SSN Learning Briefs. These can be downloaded from our Resources page
Forthcoming SSN Events
The next SSN Quarterly Meeting will take place in June 2013.
Calendar of Past Quarterly Meetings
Please click on an event below for more information on the themes of quarterly meetings, and materials from the events
March 2013: Community Planning & Public Sector Climate Action
The meeting focussed on looking at how community planning can be better used as a mechanism to act on climate change and work towards fulfilling Scotland's emissions reductions targets. The national policy context for this meeting included the release of the draft Report on Proposals and Policies for a Low Carbon Scotland and a review of Single Outcome Agreements (SOA) and Community Planning Partnerships. Some SSN members had expressed concern that new SOA guidance, which highlighted six priorities to focus on, did not include climate change, the environment or sustainable development.
Access the programme:
Quarterly programme March 2013
Access to SSN Learning Brief 12: Community Planning and Public Sector Climate Action:
SSN Learning Brief 12: Community Planning and Public Sector Climate Action
Access the SSN review:
SSN review report
Access the presentations:
Brian Peddie and Adam Stewart presentations
Phil Matthews presentation
Liz Marquis presentation
SSN review presentation
Knowledge Hub review
Bryan Harris' presentation
December 2012: Sustainable Procurement: Progressing Sustainable Procurement of Timber Products and Public Sector Food
SSN's December 2012 Quarterly meeting provided delegates with an update on the status of the Procurement Reform Bill, showcased the success of the WWF What Wood You Choose campaign in Scotland and explored opportunities for collaboration with the Soil Association on their Food for Life scheme.
Access the programme:
SSN Quarterly December 2012 Quarterly Programme
For further information, the following presentations are also available:
Update on Procurement Reform Bill and Scottish Government Priorities(Peter Brown)
What Wood You Choose Campaign Update from WWF(James Home)
What Wood You Choose Case Study - Durham County Council(Jamie Thomas)
What Wood You Choose Case Study - Falkirk Council(James King)
Food for Life - Transforming Food Culture in Scotland(Angela Mitchell)
Food for Life Innovation - Case Studies from Edinburgh and Copenhagen(Joe Hind)
Food for Life Case Study - North Ayrshire(Ken Campbell)
October 2012: SSN Development; Scotland's Climate Change Declaration; and the Procurement Reform Bill Consultation
This Quarterly provided an opportunity for delegates to learn more about SSN developments and to contribute to informing SSN plans. It also allowed SCCD analysis to be shared and for delegates to inform next steps .Delegates also had the chance to inform the SSN response to the Procurement Reform Bill Consultation, and to share views from their councils.
Access the programme:
SSN October 2012 Quarterly Programme.
For further information, the presentations and reports from the meeting will also be available to download in the near future.
June 2012: Sustainable Procurement, Green Deal & RPP 2
SSN's June 2012 Quarterly meeting provided delegates with updates and information on: sustainable procurement; the Green Deal, the Report on Proposals and Policies 2 (RPP 2) and; SSN work plan and communications (particularly the SSN Knowledge Hub).
Access the programme:
SSN June 2012 Quarterly Programme
For further information, the following presentations and reports are also available:
PowerPoint: Fife Council Sustainable Procurement (Derek Hamilton)
PowerPoint: The Scottish Government - Green Deal & ECO in Scotland (Ann McKenzie)
PowerPoint: Scottish Futures Trust - Local Authorities and the Green Deal (Viv Cockburn)
Report: Scottish Futures Trust - Local authority approaches to promote and deliver the Green Deal
PowerPoint: The Scottish Government - Report on Proposals and Policies Update (Barry Greig)
Information Sheet: How to Use the SSN Knowledge Hub (Anna Hunter)
January 2012: Engaging and Supporting Schools on Sustainability and Climate Change
January 2012's SSN Quarterly meeting profiled two new national projects - Scotland's Environment Web and ClimateXChange - and shared case studies on the topic of 'engaging and supporting schools on sustainable development and climate change.
Download the Learning Brief, summarising all the key messages and presentations from the day:
SSN Learning Brief 9: Engaging & Supporting Schools on Sustainable Development & Climate Change
Access the programme:
SSN January 2012 Quarterly Programme
For further information, the following downloads are also available:
PowerPoint: National Update from COSLA (Amie Fulton)
Scottish Government Energy and Climate Change Directorate - Staff Organogram (Barry Grieg)
PowerPoint: Introducing SEWeb (Jo Muse)
PowerPoint: Introducing ClimateXChange (Ragne Low)
PowerPoint: Education Scotland-Drivers for School Engagement on Sustainable Development and Climate Change (Ian Menzies)
PowerPoint: Supporting Schools in Sustainability - Lessons from Fairtrade (Sylvia Gray)
PowerPoint: SSN &Highland Council - Using the Schools Global Footprint Resource (Jenny Brotchie)
PowerPoint: Scottish Borders Council - Creating a Dedicated Staff Resource for Schools and Community Carbon Reduction (Fiona Munro)
PowerPoint: Fife Council - Carbon Audit of Education Service and Education's Response (Martin Webb and Avril Graham)
January 2011: Community Engagement on Climate Change
SSN's January 2011 Quarterly theme was Effective Community Engagement on Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Learning, Sharing, Planning.
For a summary of the day, download:
SSN Learning Brief 8: Effective Community Engagement on Climate Change and Sustainable Development
For further information, the following documents are also available:
SSN January 2011 Quarterly - Programme
PowerPoint: Climate Change Behaviours Research Programme (Jonathan Waite)
PowerPoint: Fife Engage Project (Rehema White/David Paterson)
PowerPoint: Using Footprint Analysis to Improve Community Engagement - to follow
PowerPoint: Community Engagement & Climate Change Adaptation (Anna Beswick/Graham Esson)
PowerPoint: SSN Update (George Tarvit)
May 2010: Climate Change Communications & Behaviour Change.
SSN held its 5 May 2010 Quarterly in Stirling. The Quarterly was titled: Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Improving Local Authority Work on Communications and Behaviour Change.
The 2010 Spring Quarterly Meeting aimed to promote learning and improve practice on climate change and sustainable development communications and behaviour change work by local government. SSN members can access a summary of the day, and copies of presentations, on the SSN Community of Practice.
If you are not an SSN member, please contact sue.walker@ksbscotland.org.uk, who will supply you with information from the day.
December 2009: Energy Efficiency Action Plan Consultation
The December Quarterly was held on 10 December at the Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow.
Conserve and Save: A Consultation Event on the Scottish Government's Energy Efficiency Action Plan was held in partnership with the Scottish HECA Officers' Network (SHON) and the Scottish Energy Officers' Network (SEON).
See below for downloadable resources from the event:
Conserve & Save Event: Programme
Suzanne Le Miere, Scottish Government: PowerPoint Presentation
Suzanne Le Miere, Scottish Government: PowerPoint Presentation 2 (Not Used on the Day)
Elizabeth Leighton, WWF: PowerPoint Presentation
SSN Learning Brief 7: Consultation Event on Scottish Government's Energy Efficiency Action Plan
Facilitators' Notes: Consultation Event on Scottish Government's Energy Efficiency Action Plan
SSN Response to Scottish Government's Energy Efficiency Action Plan Consultation
June 2011: Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Change in Government
SSN's June Quarterly meeting focused on the theme of Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Change in Government.
For a summary of the day, download:
SSN June Quarterly 2011 Programme
For further information, the following documents are also available:
PowerPoint: Scottish Government - Mainstreaming Climate Change (Gabby Pieraccini)
PowerPoint: City of Edinburgh Council - Sustainable Edinburgh 2020 (Janice Pauwels)
PowerPoint: SSN Update and Plans for 2011-12 (George Tarvit)
September 2009: LA Climate Change International Seminar
The SSN September 09 Quarterly was held in association with CIFAL Findhorn in Dunfermline, Fife.
Download the Programme from the day here:
Seminar Programme - September 10, 2009
Download PowerPoint presentations from the day here:
Overview of Scottish Local Authority Action on Climate Change - George Tarvit, SSN
Scotland: A Reference for the UN Toward a New Low Carbon Route to Development for Developing Countries - Christophe Nuttall, UNDP
Act and Adapt: Climate Change in Scotland - Gavin Barrie, Climate Change Division, Scottish Government
South Lanarkshire Council's Leadership on Climate Change - Stuart MacMillan, South Lanarkshire Council
Local Climate Change Mitigation Leadership - Par Wallin, Vaxjo Kommun, Sweden
Local Authorities Building Adaptive Capacity and Climate Change Resilience - Alex Hill, Met Office
SCCIP: An Update on Capacity and Service - Julian Holbrook, SCCIP
A Multi-Stakeholder Approach in the City of Tilburg - Pieter Biemans, City of Tilburg, Netherlands
June 2009: Single Outcome Agreements Phase 2
Download the Programme for the June 09 Quarterly here:
Programme - SSN June 09 Quarterly
Download the PowerPoint presentations from the day here:
Improving Local Outcome Indicators Project - Bob Stead
The Third Annual Assessment of Government Sustainable Development Performance - Sasha Trifkovic
SSN Update and Outline of Morning Session - George Tarvit
October 2010: Public Bodies Climate Change Duties
The October 2010 SSN Quarterly Meeting took place in The Lighthouse, Glasgow, on 7 October.
Delegates first heard a briefing from the Scottish Government on the Climate Change (Scotland) Act Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Draft Guidance.
Following that, there was an opportunity to discuss, and formulate responses to, the consultation on the draft Guidance. The event also allowed for discussion about local authority capacity building relating to the introduction of the new Public Bodies Climate Change Duties.
Download Scottish Government PowerPoint presentation:
Public Bodies Climate Change Duties - The Scottish Government
October 2008: Climate Change Adaptation Framework Consultation
Overview
On Wednesday 8 October, SSN convened a special meeting to allow Members to share their views on the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Framework and to agree a common response from SSN. Members also had an opportunity to hear an update on the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund and to get further details of how this Fund will operate.
You can download the programme for the special meeting here:
Climate Change Adaptation Framework Consultation - Programme
You can visit the Scottish Government website to view the Scottish Government Climate Change Adaptation Framework Consultation. You can also visit the Climate Challenge Fund website.
Presentations
Members heard initially from Alison Caldecott from Scottish Government's Climate Change Team. Alison gave an update on the timescale for the Climate Change Adapatation Framework Consultation process, and gave the audience an overview of the Scottish Government Climate Change Adaptation marketing campaign. You can download Alison Caldecott's PowerPoint presentation here: Alison Caldecott - Scottish Government
Members then heard two presentations on the Scottish Government Climate Challenge Fund. Jon Rathgen, from the Scottish Government's Greener Scotland Directorate, gave the audience an overview on the thinking behind the Fund, while the Fund's Manager, David Gunn, gave Members a detailed picture on progress so far. Download David Gunn's PowerPoint presentation here:
David Gunn - Climate Challenge Fund
Before Members shared their views on the Adaptation Framework, SSN's Development Manager, George Tarvit, outlined the timescale for the submission of SSN's consultation response. George's presentation can be downloaded here:
George Tarvit - SSN
SSN's Consultation Response
SSN's response to the Scottish Government's Climate Change Adaptation Framework Consultation can be accessed via our Resources page.
April 2009: Show & Tell - Sharing Good Practice & Filling the Information Gaps
Representatives from 18 of Scotland's 32 local authorities attended SSN's April 2009 Quarterly Meeting in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
SSN is increasingly aware of the need to develop a better understanding of Scottish local government performance on sustainable development. A clear baseline of activity will allow SSN to assess progress, and to improve the transfer of best practice amongst members.
The April Quarterly gave members an opportunity to kick-start this process, by sharing information on sustainable development initiatives taking place in their authorities. A variety of workshop sessions throughout the day allowed delegates to reflect on distance travelled, identify good practice, and start to record examples of good practice by drafting case studies.
Delegates also listened to three presentations during the morning session. SSN's Information Assistant, Anna Hunter, gave a presentation on how the Network currently shares information. Steve Waller, Sustainability Advisor with the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) outlined how his organisation works with local authorities in England to share information and encourage best practice, including the Nottingham Declaration Partnership and the Beacon Councils scheme.
Finally, Dan McCartney, also of IDeA, focussed on good practice in online information sharing. Dan provided delegates with an overview of the local authority social networking site, 'Communities of Practice', and demonstrated the Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Community of Practice (ESCC CoP). Dan also discussed the successful online climate change conference that the ESCC CoP held earlier this year.
Visit the Communities of Practice website here:
Communities of Practice
This Learning Brief summarises the event:
SSN Learning Brief 6: Sharing Good Practice and Filling the Information Gaps
Download the April Quarterly programme here:
SSN April Quarterly Programme
Download PowerPoint presentations from the day here:
SSN Communications - Anna Hunter
Networks and Improvement - Steve Waller
Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change Community of Practice - Dan McCartney
January 2009: Climate Change Landscape 09 & LCLIPs
SSN held it's latest Quarterly meeting on Thursday 29 January, kindly hosted by Falkirk Council at the Falkirk Football Statdium. Representatives from 23 of Scotland's 32 Councils registered for the event, and feedback from the day was very positive.
Morning Session
The morning session saw a valuable presentation from Jenny Hamilton of the Scottish Government's Climate Change Division. Jenny gave a comprehensive overview of the Climate Change Division's agenda for 2009 and the implications of this agenda for Local Authorities.
George Tarvit then gave a brief presentation, providing delegates with an overview of the latest work of the COSLA Climate Change Task Group.
Afternoon Session
In the afternoon, delegates initially split into groups for a discussion on Scotland's Climate Change Declaration and SOAs.
Group discussions were followed by a series of presentations on the Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP) pilot scheme. Alan Speedie, the consultant charged with developing a guidance document for councils undertaking an LCLIP, kicked off the presentations with a general overview of the project.
Highland Council was one of four councils involved in the LCLIP pilot scheme. Ailsa Villegas, Sustainable Development Officer at Highland Council, reported on her experience of developing and using an LCLIP. Vanessa Kind of SNIFFER then reported on Phase 2 of the LCLIP project, and invited SSN members to contact her if they were interested in undertaking an LCLIP.
Finally, George Tarvit gave a brief presentation on WWF's Earth Hour event, with a reminder for interested members to contact WWF's Lang Banks for more information.
For in-depth information on the April Quarterly presentations and discussions, download SSN Learning Brief 5: Climate Change - Challenges & Opportunities
Download the January Quarterly programme here:
SSN January Quarterly Programme
Download PowerPoint presentations here:
Scottish Government Presentation - Jenny Hamilton
COSLA Climate Change Task Group - George Tarvit
LCLIP Presentation - Alan Speedie
LCLIP Presentation - Ailsa Villegas
LCLIP Presentation - Vanessa Kind
Earth Hour Presentation - George Tarvit
September 2008: Single Outcome Agreements
The September Quarterly, hosted by Perth and Kinross Council, was titled Single Outcome Agreements - Directing Us Towards Sustainable Development?
At the meeting, Bernadette Malone, Chief Executive of Perth and Kinross Council spoke about her Council's experience of the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) process.
Bob Christie, Outcomes Programme Manager at the Improvement Service, gave delegates an overview of the 2008 SOAs, and looked ahead to the challenges that Councils faced in the run-up to the preparation of the 2009 SOAs.
The Scottish Government perspective on the Single Outcome Agreement process was provided by John Mason, the Director of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water Industry.
All the Powerpoint presentations from the above speakers are available to download below.
In the morning session, Neil Gateley, Sustainability Team Leader from Fife Council, was one of four Sustainable Development Officers who shared their experiences of the SOA process with delegates. His presentation notes are also available to download here.
Bernadette Malone, Perth and Kinross Council - Presentation
Bob Christie, Improvement Service - Presentation
John Mason, Scottish Government - Presentation
Neil Gateley, Fife Council - Presentation Notes
You can also view all 32 SOAs on the SSN webpage.
June 2008: Climate Change Adaptation
With the effects of climate change being felt across the country, and more robust data available for future climate scenarios, SSN's June Quarterly Meeting focussed on the role of local authorities in adapting to climate change. You can download the programme here: SSN June Quarterly Meeting 2008.
The meeting was hosted by Aberdeenshire Council, and featured contributions from UKCIP, Kirklees Council, Clim-Atic and the Scottish Government. The event took place just two days after the launch of the Scottish Government's Climate Change Adaptation Framework, which you can access by following this link: Adapting Our Ways: Scotland's Climate Change Adaptation Framework (consultation)
The presentations from the day can be accessed here:
Gerry Metcalf, UKCIP
UKCIP 2008 adaptation
Adele Wiseman - Kirklees Metropolitan Council, EMS, Adaptation & Indicator 188
Kirklees Council adaptation
Clive Bowman - Community Action for Adaptation
Clim ATIC presentation / Clim ATIC workshop presentation
Alison Caldecott - Adapting Our Ways
Scottish Govt adaptation framework consultation
March 2008: Urban Planning & Regeneration
For SSN's March 2008 Quarterly, we supported Urban Planning & Regeneration: Key to Tackling Climate Change, a prestigious international conference held by CIFAL-Findhorn (North-Europe's UN-funded training centre for sustainability) and Dundee City Council. The conference took place on March 17th-18th at Dundee's Marryat Hall, and featured case studies of innovative planning for sustainability from Scotland, Europe, Asia and South America.
Speakers from Curitiba (Brazil) and Freiburg (Germany) presented alongside practitioners from Dundee City Council, to explore and compare new solutions and new strategies to eliminate and reduce the urban contribution to climate change.
SSN hosted the Monday morning of this session, and case studies from the City of Edinburgh Council, Clackmannanshire Council and Gaia Architects demonstrated the vital role of ground-breaking approaches to planning in moving toward a more sustainable Scotland.
All of the presentations from the two days are online, at the CIFAL Findhorn website website.
Or, as ever, contact us for more information.
December 2007: Sustainable Transport & Ecological Footprinting
SSN's December Quarterly Meeting - Sustainable Transport and Ecological Footprinting - took place on Thursday 13th December and was kindly hosted by Glasgow City Council - please see the agenda below.
Download SSN December Quarterly Programme
The Quarterly provided an update on local authority initiatives (featuring Glasgow City Council, Dublin Transportation Office and Darlington Council) to improve the infrastructure for sustainable transport, on promoting cycling and on integrated transport planning. The event also profiled the DISTILLATE research programme, (DISTILLATE - Design and Implementation Support Tools for Integrated Local LAnd use, Transport and the Environment), a broad-ranging study, hosted by Leeds University, aimed at overcoming the barriers to the effective development and delivery of sustainable urban transport and land use strategies.
The second half of the day revolved around a participative workshop on the role of ecological footprinting in developing transport strategies: please see the Local Footprints page for more information on ecological footprinting support in Scotland.
Presentations from the day
Matthew Page (University of Leeds)- Towards Effective Sustainable Transport and Land Use Strategies
John Henry - Developing a New Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area
Owen Wilson - Darlington: a Sustainable Travel Town
Adam Bows - Co-ordinating Supply & Demand for Cycling infrastructure in Glasgow
SSN also presented an overview of activity for the first three months of 2008: SSN - December Update & Planning for the Future.
September 2007: Best Value & Sustainable Development
Hosted by Falkirk Council
SSN September 2007 Quarterly Network Meeting Agenda
In September 2007 SSN's Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit was one year old! SSN's September Quarterly provided members with an opportunity to learn from one another's application of the tool and to reflect on how members' use of the toolkit could be supported. The event also launched SSN's toolkit in two new formats.
The morning featured presentations from Tim Birley (consultant and author of the SSN toolkit), Brenda Roddy (Falkirk Council) and the Scottish Government. The afternoon featured facilitated discussions on the local application of the toolkit. Examples of local materials that support cross-service training on SD can be found at SSN's online toolkit.
The day's event was focussed on sharing good practice in meeting the Duty of Sustainable Development using SSN Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit Document.
Presentations from the day can be downloaded here:
Applying the Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit - Tim Birley
Embedding Sustainability - Brenda Roddy (Falkirk Council)
Best Value Sustainable Development - The Scottish Government
Using the Best Value Toolkit - Lorna Jarvie (South Lanarkshire Council)
Best Value & Sustainable Development - Gill Darbyshire (East Renfrewshire Council)
More information on SSN's work on Best Value & Sustainable Development can be found at Best Value
June 2007: Communicating Climate Change
Hosted by Fife Council
SSN June 2007 Quarterly Network Meeting Agenda
The June Quarterly inspired debate and discussion to support local authority staff in finding innovative yet consistent ways to engage colleagues in this most urgent of issues.
The day was facilitated by Futerra Sustainability Communications, and included presentations on An Inconvenient Truth, Internal Climate Change Communications at the Scottish Government, and a great deal of discussion.
The learning and ideas from the day, as well as links to further resources for informing your communications techniques, are included in SSN Learning Brief 1: Climate Change Communications.
Other materials from the day can be accessed at the newly developed SSN's Climate Change Communications Portal
March 2007: Delivering Scotland's Climate Change Declaration
Hosted by the Scottish Local Authority Climate Change Partnership at The Surgeon's Hall in Edinburgh
Delivering Scotland's Climate Change Programme - Agenda
More than 90 people representing the local authority signatories of Scotland's Climate Change Declaration attended this invigorating event in central Edinburgh. Speakers from the Greater London Authority, Scottish Borders Council and City of Edinburgh Council reinforced the role of political, corporate and officer leadership in delivering effective, coordinated action on mitigation and adaptation.
The event was hosted by Scotland's Local Authority Climate Change Programme, and funded by SSN and the Energy Saving Trust.
Presentations from the day can be downloaded here:
London Climate Change Action Plan - Mark Watts (GLA)
Scotland's Climate Change Programme - Phillip Wright - The Scottish Government
Corporate Leadership for Climate Change - David Hume - Scottish Borders Council
All of the discussion from the day, summaries of presentations delivered and notes for future delivery of Scotland's Climate Change Declaration can be found in the Delivering Scotland's Climate Change Declaration - Final Event Report
For more information on SSN's work on climate change and Scotland's Climate Change Declaration go to Climate Change
December 2006: Sustainable Procurement
Hosted by Dundee City Council: SSN December 2006 Quarterly Network Meeting Agenda
The meeting was focussed on how policy and guidance at a UK / Scottish level is driving local authority action on sustainable procurement.
Procuring the Future - Barbara Morton (UK Government Sustainable Procurement Taskforce)
Sustainable Procurement - Dave Cook - Scottish Government
Recyclate Market Development - ReMade Scotland
Notes from Sustainable Procurement Quartely Workshops
More information on procurement for sustainability can be found within this website at <<27>>
September 2006: Climate Change: Mitigation Tools
Hosted by South Lanarkshire Council
Presentations from the day can be downloaded here:
AEA Technology & Carbon Management
Local Authority Carbon Management Programme - John Stocks (The Carbon Trust)
Carbon Management & Footprinting - David Baxter (North Lanarkshire Council)
A Combined Approach to Sustainability - David Baxter (North Lanarkshire Council)
Carbon Management - Doug Flint (Perth & Kinross Council)
SSN Quarterly Testimonial
"As the first sustainable development officer my council has ever had, the opportunity to meet with other lead officers taking forward sustainable development within their councils has been crucial for me. SSN's quarterly meets provide a great way for me to keep my knowledge up to date. They allow me to engage with other network members and my colleagues back at the council on key topics - I would encourage anyone to go along!"
- Lorna Jarvie, Sustainable Development Officer, South Lanarkshire Council