A salute to the brave and the bold - Sustain Britain

There is an old adage in the Civil Service that “nobody got promoted by making decisions”. Unfair? Maybe.

What can’t be denied is that for far too many years those in authority have had an aversion to projects that are new or unusual. Consequently, decisions on challenging projects have become laboured and delayed because anything new or unusual requires individuals within the Civil Service to be brave and stick out their necks!

Despite this, Sustain Wiltshire has made notable progress of late. It now has the go-ahead from the Environmental Agency on Advanced Pre-Application Advice for the Super-Midden.

To the uninitiated, this may seem like routine progress, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, in the opinion of consultants, experienced EA watchers, and even from those within the EA itself – the likelihood of a response to Sustain Wiltshire’s request for advice was viewed as doubtful, precisely because of its innovative and unusual nature.

That’s what comes of originating technology that has the potential to transform landfill into one of the most climate-friendly methods of waste disposal: generating energy, heat, and affordable fruit and vegetables for local communities.

If Britain and its communities are to flourish and grow, we need more individuals within the authorities to be brave; to make decisions in the knowledge nothing is foolproof and mistakes may happen.

The culture of criticism in the media, expecting government and regulators to operate without mistakes is detrimental to progress. In fact, it’s quite idiotic! Without mistakes you are simply not trying. The best performers make mistakes 20% of the time, so if you are unwilling to make mistakes you can’t learn, and you certainly can’t promote progress.

That’s why we need change within the culture of the Civil Service. We need those in positions of power to be braver, to embrace more risk so that we as a nation can reap the rewards together.