Policy paper

Working with the Overseas Territories

Published 21 November 2013

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Applies to England

Like other government departments, the Department for Communities and Local Government fully supports the implementation of the 2012 white paper on Overseas Territories. To demonstrate this we work with the Local Government Association and others to provide access to advice and support on the policy issues where we have the lead.

1. Department for Communities and Local Government

The Department for Communities and Local Government sets policy on:

• local government
• communities and neighbourhoods
• local growth
• housing
• planning, building and the environment
• fire

Local councils, planning and fire authorities, among others, are responsible for the delivery of services to citizens and the implementation of many of our policies. Those who are seeking advice or guidance from practitioners may be directed towards those outside the department.

2. Working with the Territories

The department has worked with several of the Territories in the past to provide advice and guidance on areas where we have expertise and to signpost relevant information or contacts. This includes expertise in planning, housing, governance issues, local finance and taxation and fire safety and services.

Some examples of our support are described below.

2.1 Flying flags

The department has demonstrated its support by proudly flying Territory flags outside Eland House, our London building, as part of a rolling programme that includes the Union and English county flags. The flags are flown at appropriate times to recognise national days of significance. The flags flown include the Gibralter Flag to mark the Territory’s National Day, the British Virgin Islands flag to mark the St Ursula’s Day, and before that the flags of the Cayman and Falkland Islands.

In addition, since last October, as part of the liberalisation of the regime for flying flags, we have made clear that the flag of any Overseas Territory may be flown in England without the consent of the local planning authority. Read a plain English guide to the new flag-flying regime.

2.2 Planning case study

St Helena has Department for International Development (DfID) support for building its first airport. The Territory lacked the systems and expertise in planning for such a major development. The department’s Chief Planner was able to provide support and assistance by working with the Territory to define what sort of expertise they needed to ensure good planning practice was followed. It was identified that a professional planner should be recruited. Our Chief Planner helped draw up a job description and acted as an external assessor on the interview panel for the appointment.

Since then the department’s officials have met the Deputy Governor for St Helena to exchange ideas and information on housing, integration and governance issues.

2.3 Fire case study

Our fire inspectors have a long history of working with Overseas Territories and until 2002 carried out inspections regularly. Technical standards for equipment and regulations for managing fire and rescue services were also promulgated from the UK.

Since 2002, the relationship has continued as the Territories have become more responsible for their own services. There are some ongoing relationships between particular territories and particular fire and rescue services. Sir Ken Knight, our former Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser led reviews of the fire services for the governments of Bermuda and Gibraltar.

The Fire Service College formerly an executive agency of the Department for Communities and Local Government, also has an ongoing relationship with the Territories, with members of fire and rescue services attending both standard and tailored courses. The UK has also sent specialist teams and equipment across the globe to respond to significant emergencies.

2.4 Sustainable buildings case study

The Climate Change and Sustainable Buildings Division has provided assistance to Gibraltar, giving them access to a standard methodology and energy calculation software for 3 years, royalty free. This has given the Territory a proven way of assessing and demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations and generating Energy Performance Certificates when buildings are constructed, leased or sold. The department reserves the right to charge for a licence fee in future.

3. What the department can do in the future

We will continue to provide support in the areas identified above. Our contact point for Overseas Territories work is Sue Westcott 030 3444 2490

The Local Government Association, as the sector lead body, now has the responsibility for improvement and sharing best practice in many areas and so will often be a useful source of information to those seeking to develop their services and policies in particular areas. Information on how the territories can work with the Local Government Association is given below.

4. Local Government Association

In the white paper on Overseas Territories, the Foreign Secretary stated:

I particularly welcome the growing partnerships between the Territories and local authorities and with the non-governmental organisations community on environmental and other issues.

The Local Government Association is the national voice of local government and its mission is to support, promote and improve councils.

The Local Government Association provides a range of support services to its member councils, including:

• peer review and support
• e-learning
• best practice exchange
• leadership development

As many of these services to local councils could be helpful to improve services and governance in Overseas Territories, the Local Government Association would be happy to discuss how its expertise could be used to support good governance and service improvement in the Overseas Territories.

Contact the Local Government Association: info@local.gov.uk Telephone: 020 7664 3000