Local authorities, business and LA21: a study of east midlands sustainable development partnerships

Following the Earth Summit in 1992, most UK local authorities have pursued sustainable development through Local Agenda 21 (LA21) partnerships. However, few academic or practitioner studies have examined the degree to which partnership processes are suitable for LA21. Local Agenda 21 seeks to be inclusive of all community interests and stresses the need to involve local businesses. This paper reports on research undertaken between 1998 and 1999 examining the proposition that partnership arrangements may inhibit business involvement with LA21. While the study suggests that a partnership approach to LA21 may not deter business involvement, partnership structures and processes appear to be critical in engaging and sustaining business participation, particularly among SMEs. Local authorities need to be sensitive to private sector perceptions of the LA21 process and to consider alternative methods of engaging the business community in the search for a cross-sector approach to local sustainable development.