ABSTRACT
The 1990s have seen an increasing and widespread recognition of the fundamental (and potentially creative) role of local authorities in managing, raising popular awareness of and stewarding the local environment. This has culminated in them playing a pivotal role in the delivery of local sustainability through, more often than not, a consensual approach to Local Agenda 21 (LA21) involving local stakeholders. Tux- worth and Carpenter (1995) have shown that 71 per cent of UK local authorities state their commitment to participating in the LA21 process.
