5.1 You can respond to this consultation by reading our Draft Strategy 2026-31 for Consultation and submitting a response on citizen space. Alternatively, you can respond via email at enquiries@environmentalstandards.scot or by sending a letter to
Environmental Standards Scotland
Thistle House
91 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 5HD
5.2 To support ESS to develop a finalised Strategy, which would then go to the Scottish Parliament for input and approval, this consultation has been designed to collect the views and opinions of individuals and organisations that engage with ESS or have an interest in its work, as well as members of the public who may have read the Strategy.
5.3 The consultation will be available to complete until August 29 2025. The questionnaire takes around 15 minutes to complete. Please ensure you have read the information on the consultation webpage and the revised Strategy before completing this survey (consultation document, draft Strategy). Where possible, relevant extracts from the draft Strategy have been included alongside questions; where this is not possible, the sections of the Strategy relevant to the question are highlighted for reference.
5.4 We will be running several engagement events during the consultation period, these will provide an opportunity for you to ask us questions about our Strategy and we will be keen to hear a broad range of views. You can sign up to these events through EventBrite.
5.5 Our first engagement session will be:
5.6 We will update the citizen space consultation page with further engagement dates, and publish these through social media channels.
5.7 We also welcome any queries you have through email (enquiries@environmentalstandards.scot) or phone (08081964000).
5.8 Our consultation consists of the following questions.
Vision
Our vision
By holding public authorities to account, we will ensure that Scotland’s people and nature benefit from a high-quality, healthy environment through improved compliance with and better implementation of effective environmental law.
1.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree that this vision, as presented in ESS’ draft Strategy, is the right vision for the organisation to be working towards?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
1.1. Do you have any comments on ESS’ vision, as laid out in the draft Strategy?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Principles
Our principles
We will:
be independent and trusted
be evidence driven
be open and transparent
engage widely
seek to resolve issues through agreement wherever possible
prioritise our efforts and resources to maximise our impact
2.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree that these principles, as presented in ESS’ draft Strategy, are the right principles for the organisation to be working with?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
2.1. Do you have any comments on ESS’ principles, as laid out in the draft Strategy?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Priorities
Our priorities – while we will consider all concerns raised with us by members of the public, we will focus most of our proactive work around four priorities:
Climate change: Scotland’s approach to mitigation and adaptation
Nature: Scotland’s approach to reversing the decline in biodiversity
Resources: Scotland’s approach to reducing resource use and waste and developing a circular economy
Water: Scotland’s approach to improving the freshwater and marine environments
3.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to prioritisation, as set out in sections 3.1-3.5 of the draft Strategy?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
3.1. Do you have any comments about ESS’ approach to prioritisation, as laid out in the draft Strategy?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Strategic objectives
Section 4 of ESS’ draft Strategy presents five strategic objectives and describes the approach ESS proposes to take to deliver these objectives:
Our strategic objectives:
Objective 1. Securing compliance and improving effectiveness
Objective 2. Analysing and investigating environmental concerns
Objective 3. Monitoring and scrutinising environmental performance
Objective 4. Engaging and communicating effectively
Objective 5. Being an efficient and effective organisation
For each objective, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the approach to meeting the objective. If you have concerns about each objective or ESS’ approach to delivering any of the objectives, please outline these in the open comment field of the relevant question. If you have no concerns about the approach to delivering the objective, please select ‘no concerns’.
4.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(1)?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4.1. Do you have any comments on this objective, or ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(1)?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
4.2. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(2)?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4.3. Do you have any comments on this objective, or ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(2)?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
4.4. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(3)?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4.5. Do you have any comments on this objective, or ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(3)?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
4.6. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(4)?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4.7. Do you have any comments on this objective, or ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(4)?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
4.8. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(5)?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4.9. Do you have any comments on this objective, or ESS’ approach to delivering this objective(5)?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Proposed approach to measuring performance
5.0. Do you have any comments about ESS’ proposed approach to evaluating its impact and measuring its performance, as outlined in Section 5 of the draft Strategy?
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Interim conclusions on the various impact assessments of the Strategy
ESS recognises the importance of considering the potential impact of its work and upholding the rights and wellbeing of everyone in Scotland. In preparing the draft Strategy, ESS has undertaken screening (or equivalent) for a number of assessments to consider the potential impact of the Strategy in a number of areas, and any mitigation actions that may be required. The table below shows a summary of the preliminary conclusions drawn in relation to each impact assessment. More detail on ESS’ conclusions can be read in our consultation document (Consultation on ESS’ draft Strategy 2026-31). Please read this information before completing the following questions.
Table 1: Summary of impact assessment interim conclusions
Impact assessment |
Preliminary conclusion |
Equality |
Potential for impact – further evidence needed |
Business & regulatory |
Not required |
Strategic environment |
Not required |
Child rights and wellbeing |
Not required |
Island communities |
Unlikely to be required – but further evidence being sought |
Consumer duty |
Positive impact identified – assessment to be finalised following consultation |
Data protection |
Data will be processed and protected as required. |
The questions below ask about your opinions on ESS’ interim conclusions for each impact assessment. The relevant paragraphs from the webpage regarding the conclusions for each impact assessment are highlighted.
6.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the equality impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.6-1.12)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.1. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the business and regulatory impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.13-1.15)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.2. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the strategic environmental assessment? (Paragraphs 1.16-1.21)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.3. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the child rights and wellbeing impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.22-1.26)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.4. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the island communities impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.27-1.30)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.5. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the consumer duty impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.31-1.33)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.6. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ conclusion on the data protection impact assessment? (Paragraphs 1.34-1.36)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6.7. Do you have any comments on ESS’ approach to, or interim conclusions for the various impact assessments? Please specify which impact assessment you are commenting on below.
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Response to Scottish Government recommendation following the environmental governance review
The information on the consultation webpage, published alongside the draft Strategy, outlines ESS’ response to the Scottish Government recommendation shown above.
In June 2023, Scottish Ministers published and consulted on a report on the effectiveness of environmental governance in Scotland.
In November 2024 the Scottish Government made a statement to the Scottish Parliament summarising feedback from the consultation and set out the recommendations that Scottish Ministers made in response to the views received. The statement recommended that ESS should: “give further consideration to the conditions where it would be appropriate to investigate the individual circumstances of a local area, group or community, given the restrictions on the exercise of its functions” and that “the Parliament considers this matter in their oversight of ESS’ activities and in particular when reviewing a draft revised Strategy in due course”.
7.0. On a scale of ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’, how much do you agree or disagree with ESS’ response to the Scottish Government recommendation?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
7.1. Do you have any comments on the following part of ESS’ response to the Scottish Government recommendation in relation to the environmental governance review? Paragraphs 4.5-4.7: setting out the statutory limitations on the exercise of ESS’ functions (e.g. ESS’ inability to act as an appeals body or take enforcement action against public authorities on individual regulatory decisions).
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
7.2. Do you have any comments on the following part of ESS’ response to the Scottish Government recommendation in relation to the environmental governance review? Paragraphs 4.8-4.11: Setting out how ESS can consider the individual circumstances of a local area, group or community.
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
7.3. Do you have any comments on the following part of ESS’ response to the Scottish Government recommendation in relation to the environmental governance review? Paragraphs 4.12-4.14: On the gaps in the environmental governance landscape not filled by the establishment of ESS.
There is a text box for any comment or response you have.
Final comments
8.0. Do you have any other comments on our draft Strategy and our approach to fulfilling our remit?
This is a text box for any comment or response you have.