Brent Council's Sustainability Achievements

One of the council's priorities in its Corporate Strategy (2006-2010) is to:
'make Brent an exemplar of environmental practice and performance on sustainable issues'.

• Environment and Culture, in conjunction with BACES (Brent Adult and Community Education Service) and Registration and Nationality Service, has had an environmental management system (EMS) in place since September 2001.
  An additional EMS, implemented from an earlier date, exists for the Parks Service. The EMSs are externally certified to ISO 14001.

Since 2008, Brent Council has been awarded and achieved the following: 

Transportation:

• National Transport Award for Sustainable Transport
• Most Improved Transport Borough in London
• Smarter Travel Award for London
• Cited as a 'high performance provider' by London Cycle Network Plus.

Streetcare:

• Highly Commended at Future Friendly Awards 2009
• Commended in the Environmental Innovation category at the Government Business Awards in March 2009
• In 2008/9, 9,581 fewer tonnes of waste were landfilled compared to the year before
• By March 2009 seven neighbourhoods and 460 households had achieved 'Green Zone' status
• Declared as one of the first six Zero Waste Places in the country in September 2008 by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Parks:

• Silver-Gilt award in the city category at the London in Bloom competition 2008
• Third prize for the best community garden for Mapesbury Dell
• Roundwood Park and Gladstone Park have been awarded Green Flag Award status every year of the scheme, in addition to which, Barham and Preston Parks were awarded the Flag in 2009
• Roe Green Walled Garden received a Green Pennant in 2008
• Roundwood, Gladstone and Barham Parks were named in the 2008 'Good Parks Guide'.

Facilities:

• Installation of solar panels on the Town Hall with a 6,000 kWh/yr output
• £70,000 has been spent on installing low energy lighting in some schools and offices.

IT:

• An estimated £261,000 annual saving from a combination of procurement of more energy efficient IT hardware and more energy efficient use of the hardware.

Other:

• Brent Sustainability Forum was set up by Brent Council in 2008 to provide a network for public, private, community and voluntary sectors to share information, expertise, resources and lessons learned.
• In November 2008, Brent Council adopted a Council Travel Plan and a boroughwide Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, to respond to the changing world we live in. 
• A Green Champions Network has been set up for staff, to encourage 'green' working practices within London Borough of Brent.  Launched in November 2009, there are already over 55 members, who are all setting a good example and encouraging colleagues to work in a more sustainable way.
• For the new Brent Civic Centre, due by 2013, sustainability is a key planning focus and the architects were commissioned to design a building for the future, an exemplar within local government.