OpenCharities

Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland

Also known as: Ercs

Country
Scotland
Charity number
SC050257
Status
Active
Registered
July 3, 2020
Legal form
SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Part of
Scottish Environment Link (SC000296)

Address

Address
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland
Thorn House
5 Rose Street
Edinburgh
EH22PR

Contact

Website
ercs.scot
Website screenshot

Activities

'It carries out activities or services itself'

'the advancement of education','the advancement of health','the advancement of citizenship or community development','the advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation','the advancement of environmental protection or improvement'

Our vision is of a Scotland where every person’s right to a healthy environment is respected, protected and fulfilled. ERCS is the only organisation in Scotland that provides free legal expertise in public interest environmental law. Our mission is to assist everyone, especially people who face the biggest barriers, to exercise their rights in environmental law and to protect the environment. We do this through: • Awareness-raising of legal rights and remedies and supporting equitable participation in environmental decision-making. • Advice, assistance and representation to increase access to justice and holding public authorities and polluters to account on the environment. • Advocacy in policy and law reform to improve environmental law. • Strategic public interest litigation to tackle systemic environmental problems.

Objectives: The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland will, through public education, advice, assistance and representation, advocacy in policy and law reform and strategic public interest litigation, fulfil the following charitable purposes: * the advancement of human rights, specifically the right to a clean and healthy environment - by raising the public's awareness of and ability to exercise their procedural rights of access to information, participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, and by promoting a fairer distribution of environmental benefits, burdens and responsibilities. * the advancement of environmental protection and improvement - by providing our services to individuals, community groups and organisations with the same purpose, and by seeking to improve the quality and accountability of environmental decision-making. * the advancement of health - by raising awareness of the detrimental impact of poor environmental quality on health outcomes, and by challenging environmental decisions which harm human health and may exacerbate health inequalities. * the advancement of citizenship and community development - by raising awareness of and working with individuals, community groups and organisations to exercise their rights in environmental law and to engage more fully with the land-use planning and legal systems. and * the advancement of education - by providing information and educational resources to increase the public's knowledge and awareness of environmental law and of their rights under environmental law. The Organisation understands environmental law to include law relating to land-use planning, climate change, pollution control, environmental health, the conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage, and any other field (e.g. transport, energy) to the extent that it impacts on the natural environment in Scotland.

Areas of operation

Main operating location
City of Edinburgh
Geographical spread
Operations cover all or most of Scotland

Finances

Period end Income Expenditure Employees
March 31, 2025 £440,205 £367,484 10
March 31, 2024 £339,049 £254,583 -
March 31, 2023 £235,883 £187,679 -
March 31, 2022 £208,001 £118,084 -
March 31, 2021 £101,400 £58,512 -