Enthusiasm for indicators is strong among government and local authorities to develop measurable Local Agenda 21 initiatives.

Many are piloting broad-based 'quality of life' indicators in consultation with community groups to reflect the social strand of sustainable development.

The UK government lists 15 Headline Indicators, intended to raise public awareness of sustainable development, to focus public attention on what sustainable development means, and to give a broad overview of progress

UK Sustainable Development Headline Indicators

The government consultation also raised these points in relation to targets:

1. They should be simple and meaningful contributions.
   

2. Specific targets should be set for different industrial sectors.
   

3. Targets should be set for different time frames between 5 - 100 years.
   

4. Targets need to be kept under regular review.