Sustainability in Austerity: How Local Government Can Deliver During Times of Crisis

As the economic crisis of 2008/09 unfolded, it became apparent that the huge mountains of debt being built up by central governments were unsustainable and that savage cuts would be needed to balance budgets. It also became clear that the public sector would be one of the first in line when the axe started swinging. Yet, at the very same time, green advocates from business, academia and civil society were making calls for greater investment at the local level in the big sustainability issues of the day such as fostering sustainable consumption or educating communities on making the transition to a low-carbon economy. The upshot is that leaders in local government are going to be asked to do a lot more work on environmental and social sustainability but with much less money. To make matters worse, increasing public scepticism about why we should deal with these dilemmas in the first place has been exacerbating the problem, notably exemplified by concerns over the robustness of the science of climate change. Local sustainability faces a perfect storm. Sustainability in Austerity has been written to provide local leaders with a lifebelt in these turbulent times. It empowers local authorities to address the challenges they now face – by offering a treasure chest of cost-neutral and powerful ways for leaders in local government to advance sustainability as nations emerge from the global recession. The book sets out the required rules for leadership and proposes a myriad of innovative strategies for self-help achieved through habit-forming behaviour change among council members, staff and local communities alike. Packed with international case studies, anecdotes and management tips derived from a wealth of learning by like-minded peers across the world – all of whom have faced and overcome serious sustainability challenges – the book will be a touchstone for professionals working in areas such as: democracy and decision-making; corporate assets and resources; economic development and planning; waste and environmental services; fleet and logistics; and community management. There is an impressive array of books that provide fresh and innovative thinking on sustainability, but the vast majority have ignored or overlooked inspirational stories of positive change in local government. Sustainability in Austerity is a game-changing book and will be essential reading for managers and councillors in local government across the world, in either emerging or developed economies; managers in central government; community organisation leaders; academics; and management consultants who work with this sector on policy and performance.

Table of Contents:
The 102 cost-neutral interventions Preface Part I: The dentist's chair 1. Why you should read this book 2. The big dilemmas faced by local government leaders 3. Making change desirable Part II: Doing much more with a lot less 4. The perfect storm 5. Revisiting the business case 6. Criteria for selection of interventions Part III: The upside of down with amazing people 7. Democracy decision-making 8. Corporate assets & resources 9. Economic development & planning 10. Waste & environmental services 11. Fleet & logistics 12. Community management Part IV: Out of the darkness – golden rules of excellence in austerity 13. Battling back 14. Reaffirming what is meant by excellence 15. Over to you Bibliography Other helpful sources of learning Index

About the Author :
PHILIP MONAGHAN is a highly successful leader with 16 years' experience as a strategist, change manager, programme deliverer and fundraiser in the fields of economic development and environmental sustainability across the public, non-profit and private sectors.

Review :
This is a well-written and well-structured book, and one that uses a simple language and other visual resources (tables, charts) to reach a non-scientific audience. The book collects and succinctly presents an important set of experiences on cities across the world to achieve sustainability (over 100 case studies). These ideas could easily navigate across local politicians and policy-makers worldwide willing (or needing) to act to improve the local (and global) environment under major budgetary constraints. Other potential readers, as the author suggests, might be community organisation leaders, civil servants and public managers working at scales other than the local one (e.g. central government), management consultants or even academics. In that sense the book, despite not being primarily oriented to academia, could be interesting for environmental researchers looking for down-to-earth ideas to achieve sustainability from the local scale in times of economic crisis. ... Sustainability in Austerity. How Local Government Can Deliver During Times of Crisis reviews an enormous assortment of local experiences across the world. This turns the book into a rich and variegated compilation of actions to achieve sustainability at the local level, leaving to the reader to decide whether these measures could suit a given context other than the case study. At any rate, and despite being primarily oriented to policy makers, I strongly recommend the reading of the book to those scholars and readers of the journal working on sustainability at the local scale and in close contact with the public administration. Even if punctual measures are hardly consonant with degrowth principles most of them could interest scholars dealing with such paradigm. -- Hug March, Geosciences Environnement Toulouse GET, Universite de Toulouse Journal of Cleaner Production 19 (2011) Aware that we face the enormous austerity arising from a horrific global recession, Philip Monaghan sees an opportunity to achieve sustainability by taking the interests and needs of lower levels of government. ... Monaghan's book gives numerous examples of successful sustainability that arise from knowledge of successful methods within other countries and the application of a large range of different methods ... Monaghan's book covers over a hundred specific examples of such success. Full review -- Alan F. Kay, PhD, author, Locating Consensus for Democracy; Treasurer and Secretary, Ethical Markets Phillip Monaghan must be a busy chap. Not only has he produced this timely guide for councils, he's also Head of Sustainability at Knowsley Met Borough Council in Liverpool and in his spare time reading a Master of Science in climate change and sustainable development. This book is packed with resources, ideas and case studies for local government, not only from the UK but also across the globe. Critically Monaghan has tried to focus on "cost-neutral" responses and actions but always with an eye for long term impact and sustainability. He reminds us of the strong business case for sustainability, not only in terms of cost savings and compliance with regulations, but also in terms of better risk management, better service delivery and a focus for innovation and joint working. ... Monaghan's book is refreshingly practical, realistic and positive. Unlike many post-downturn reviews it gets straight on with the job of sharing what local authorities can and need to do in increasingly resource-limited times. -- Rosalie Callway, International Policy Officer at the Local Government International Bureau, UK The 15 systematic chapters presented, within four parts of the book, feature the required rules of leadership and relevant case studies, anecdotes and management tips derived from lessons learned by local government leaders - such as mayors and councillors - across the world, all of whom have experienced and coped with serious sustainability issues. However, readers from other backgrounds such as academic and business practitioners will find this book enriching as well, as Monaghan offers a "route mapping" which guides readers into practical specifics. Sustainability in Austerity provides hands-on tips for readers on improving sustainability performance with limited resources such as ideas for habit-forming behavioural change, connecting council staff and members with the electorate through engagement exercises, reducing energy running costs and organising special economic zoning. An important ingredient in this book consists of the inspiring insights from interviews with local government leaders in Caracas (Venezuela), Ekurhuleni (South Africa), Fort Chipewyan (Canada), Krakow (Poland), Merseyside (UK), Montgomery (USA), Nillumbik (Australia) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), as well as many others. ... the book deserves a hearty round of applause for its emphasis on the fact that sustainability is not merely the responsibility of a certain sector, but rather a call for all stakeholders to contribute, even in such austere times. Full review -- Mardian Marsono CSR International, 30 December 2010 Philip Monaghan's book is an authoritative and inspiring guide for those holding local office ... Most business literature about sustainability and social and environmental responsibility tends to address national or international government policy, business actions or personal lifestyle change. This book is a refreshing approach from the perspective of another and no less a significant critical agent - the local council - in leveraging both the ability and opportunity around sustainability of all other players in our communities in creative and potentially revolutionary ways. If the image of many local councils is that of sluggish, unresponsive and bureaucratic officialdom, then this book offers to revitalize that image and show how councils can be a dynamic, thriving force with a mission that is much broader than collecting local taxes and handing out parking fines. It could even be the key to sparking a burst of energy at local municipality level, thereby transforming a much underestimated link in the chain of sustainability and survival of the planet into a new source of possibility. Local council leaders who see sustainability as key are the next generation of global heroes. It is my hope they will take the lead from this book, so the 100-year plan for sustainability in Vancouver can actually run to term in a world where its own local sustainability is dependent on broader supra-local systemic change with other localities making equally enlightened commitments. Full review -- Elaine Cohen CSRWire, 19 January 2011 Philip Monaghan's book is a timely and useful addition to the growing catalogue of texts on sustainable development because it offers a realistic assessment of what is possible for a local authority to implement at a time of unprecedented cuts in budgets ... this is book is both optimistic and realistic in its analysis of the opportunities globally for realising many of the objectives of sustainability within the context of a local authority's unique social contract (whether written or unwritten) with its citizens, civil society organisations and businesses. It provides some excellent insights into a range of relevant issues ... This is a well organised and structured book and hence accessible. It emphasises the learning outcomes it seeks to achieve and is filled with some excellent case studies from around the world... a well researched practical guide which undoubtedly will facilitate the process of sustainable development at a local level. Well worth reading for the "treasure chest of cost-neutral" ideas it contains. Full review -- Steve Martin EnviroSci News, January 2011 Philip Monaghan's book explains how local authorities can deliver sustainability even during a period of economic crisis. He sets out 102 "cost-neutral" interventions that have already been implemented - ranging from smarter driving at Knowsley Borough Council to bike clubs in Barcelona, and from a recycling festival in Krakow to a vegetarian day (Meatout) in Michigan - to inspire others. Monaghan also explains how to develop a business case for taking action so that "doing more with less" is approached in a strategic, rather than an ad hoc, way. Part III of the book is the most interesting and contains chapters on waste and environmental services, and fleet and logistics. The practical nature of the book enables readers to gauge whether or not it would be possible to replicate some of the initiatives in their own localities. Inspiring if you work in local government. The Environmentalist, February 2011 I'm glad to see that Philip's answer is, like mine, an unambiguous and hearty "yes". His book is packed with examples from around the world of local government policies that have had an impact on carbon emissions or sustainability more generally, but which have been cost neutral in the short or medium term. Read more... Cutting the Carbon, 11 April 2011