How Are Town and Parish Councils Interpreting the Biodiversity Duty?

Winchcombe Town Council is exploring how the Biodiversity Duty, introduced under Section 102 of the Environment Act 2021, is being applied in practice at local level.

The strengthened duty requires all public authorities, including town and parish councils, to consider opportunities to conserve and enhance biodiversity, set policies and objectives based on those considerations, and take action to deliver them.

However, it remains unclear how far this new responsibility has yet translated into everyday practice, whether through formal policies, planning and procurement, or more informal, community-led action.

We’re therefore inviting town and parish councils across the RMTG network to share how they are approaching this duty:

• Have you incorporated biodiversity into council policies or plans?
• Taken practical steps to conserve or enhance local biodiversity?
• Found challenges or uncertainty around how to meet the duty in practice?

Your experiences, positive or otherwise, will help paint a clearer picture of how the legislation is being understood and implemented locally.

Please share examples or reflections by contacting [email protected] or by commenting in the RMTG Facebook group.

With your consent, we’ll share relevant examples with Winchcombe Town Council and may feature selected insights in future member updates.