A wide variety of factors and issues affect our living environment:

• Social factors (e.g. education and training, building local communities, reducing crime and fear of crime)
• Economic factors (e.g. standard of living, trade, competitiveness)
• Environmental factors (e.g. biodiversity, pollution, litter, waste)

These issues form the foundations of Sustainable Development - 'the ability of the present generation to meet their own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

Achieving Sustainable Development requires economic and social development at minimal cost to the environment.