Defra civil servants will be working hard on the Natural Environment White Paper. It may be around now that they are circulating drafts to colleagues in other government Departments to get their ideas and hopefully enthusiastic endorsement. There are several other departments whose enthusiastic endorsement and collaboration would be good to have; the Treasury, Communities and Local Government, Health, Energy and Climate Change and others.
And Defra will be asked for its view on those Departments' policy proposals, for example, CLG's National Planning Policy Framework. The RSPB's view is that any changes to the planning system must pick up on Sir John Lawton's review which he carried out for for Defra and therefore any changes to the planning system should deliver an increase in wildlife in the countryside around us. That's joined up government. We hope Defra will be pushing that line too.
Hear, hear, to joined up government, lets hope that none of those other key Departments "drag their heals"