The Section 6 Duty
The Section 6 Duty
Your Community or Town Council has a statutory duty under Section 6 of the Environment Act (2016) which states that every public body…
…must seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity in the exercise of their functions in relation to Wales, and in so doing promote the resilience of ecosystems, so far as consistent with the proper exercise of those functions.
To comply, a Council should:
embed the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems into their early thinking and business planning, including any policies, plans, programmes, and projects, as well as their day to day activities.
Every public authority, including all Community and Town Councils, must publish a report on what they have done to comply with the duty. The first report was due at the end of December 2019, further reports must then be published before the end of every third year. The last report was due by the end of December 2022. Reports provide transparency, accountability and are a communication tool. The next reporting round is now active, with reports due by the end of 2025.
We are working with the Welsh Government to keep a record of the reports and this will allow us to create a database across our sector and share best practice, helping all of you complete both robust Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) and future S6 reports (2025).
We kindly ask that Councils send us a copy of their completed report and the link to the website page where the report is published so this can be recorded and shared on the Wales Biodiversity partnership website.
An overview of the Section 6 duty is available here:
The Section 6 Report
Reports are due from all public bodies in all Community and Town Councils by the end of 2025.
Reports can be included in your Council’s Annual Report, or completed separately using provided templates. Once ratified, they must be published on a website or made available on request.
Templates for the Section 6 reports are available below:
- Section 6 Report Template for Group 1 councils (bilingual) for sharing or viewing online.
- Section 6 Report Template for Group 1 councils – Bilingual Print layout
- Section 6 Report Template for Group 2 or 3 councils for sharing or viewing online. Word templates
- Section 6 Report Template for Group 2 or 3 councils – Bilingual Print layout
Please note that the report should be in proportion to the scope of each Council. Please refer to the Section 6 Duty Overview which will help you understand which sections of the report you should need to complete.
Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs)
To allow a Council to complete robust Section 6 reporting, it is also required for each Community and Town Council have an active Biodiversity Action Plan published or available on request. Councils can seek advice and guidance from our Local Places for Nature Officer with writing their plans. The completed plan should then be reviewed and updated regularly. At the end of each 3 year period, all completed tasks on the Biodiversity Action Plan can be transferred to your Section 6 Report.
Templates for Biodiversity Action Plans are available to download below: