ABOUT USEnvironmental Standards Scotland (ESS) is a public body set up to ensure the effectiveness of environmental law, and prevent enforcement gaps arising from the UK leaving the European Union.
We are here to independently monitor and investigate the effectiveness of environmental law in Scotland, and public authorities’ compliance with it.
Our mission is to ensure that Scotland’s environmental laws and standards are complied with, and their effectiveness improved to achieve Scotland’s ambitious targets for the environment, nature and climate change.
Our vision is that Scotland’s people and nature benefit from a high quality environment and are protected from harm through the consistent application of effective environmental laws, which are recognised internationally as setting high standards.
What We Do
We are a public sector body, set up as a non-ministerial office, independent of Scottish Government, and accountable to the Scottish Parliament.
ESS’ functions are set out in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021, and include: scrutinising and investigating public authorities’ compliance with environmental law, the effectiveness of the law and how it is implemented and applied in Scotland. We also aim to identify areas where environmental legislation is inadequate or could be improved.
We cover all public authorities, including:
- the Scottish Government and its agencies
- local authorities
- health and transport authorities
- organisations carrying out functions of a public nature
Who We Are
We are a non-ministerial office, governed by a Chair and Board. We have a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and internally we are organised into three teams: Strategy and Analysis; Investigations, Standards and Compliance; and Corporate Services and Communications.
Our Board Members have significant experience in leading independent scrutiny organisations and particular expertise in European environmental law. The Board has also established an Audit and Risk Committee as a standing Committee of the Board, to support its responsibilities for issues of: risk; control; governance; and associated assurance; through a process of constructive challenge.
Our Service Standards
Our commitments to you
We will:
- engage with you in a respectful manner
- deliver our work in a timely manner
- ensure our services are accessible
- be trusted, transparent, and independent
- improve our performance against standards over time
CAREERS
We are a small but dedicated organisation focused on ensuring Scotland achieves the highest environmental standards. We are looking for skilled individuals who have a passion for improving those standards to join our multidisciplinary team.
