Council team up with SEPA

Stirling Council has become the first Scottish local authority to draw up a formal partnership agreement with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

It builds on the council’s existing good practice and commits the authority to explore new ways of improving its environmental performance.

Council officials say it has improved electrical vehicle infrastructure, achieved record figures in recycling and improved air quality by reducing pollution.

Under the new plan, the council will work towards reducing resource use by maximising recycling, do more to tackle vacant and derelict land and buildings and develop a public drinking water refill initiative.

On flooding , the agreement promises to `increase collaborative working to support the delivery of actions to reduce flood risk’.

Stirling Council holds a number of SEPA licences for waste management activities.

A council spokesman said the agreement would not change the way SEPA regulates those sites but will allow for a more robust programme of enforcement in areas where the council and SEPA have overlapping legislative responsibilities.

Environmental and housing convener Jim Thomson said: “The signing of this landmark agreement supports Stirling’s commitment to continue to protect and improve the environment for the area and Scotland as a whole.”

Trossachs and Teith Tory councillor Martin Earl said: “One of the key parts of this much heralded agreement is to alleviate flood risk but signing a bit of paper isn’t going to get vulnerable areas such as Aberfoyle protected any quicker. I would rather we put our efforts into getting the Scottish Government to commit to spending some money now.“