Consider the interests that have been identified, and identify the major ‘tensions’ among them.

(They are ‘in tension’ when it is hard to see a way forward in which each of the interests is respected and met.)

Tensions often have place specific aspects, so reflecting on the interests you have identified in the last two audit questions, is the central task here.

Tensions between interests that underpin difficulties in urban water management may take many forms. Some examples include:

1. building new kinds of stormwater treatment infrastructure into new urban areas may increase land development costs, increasing the financial risks of land developers, but they may be essential to protect wetlands, creeks or estuaries;
2. a local environment group (or a local Chamber of Commerce, or …) may have a large stake in a particular policy being adopted; for a Council what looks clear cut to them may look like an ambiguous situation in which it is not clear where priorities should be set, because a much wider set of interests is being considered
3. for some Councillors a particular course of action that might in principle be attractive may be personally difficult, because it cuts across the interests of their key backers: in such cases it may appear easy to accommodate interests when in fact it is rather difficult.

In identifying tensions, the aim is not to be exhaustive. The aim is to identify those that present the most challenges for stormwater managers. The value in articulating our understanding of interests explicitly is that we consider a situation more fully when we do this, potentially recognising tensions that would not have occurred to us in a more informal process.

It can be difficult for government staff to be explicit - particularly in writing - about political interests. A good rule of thumb is only to describe tensions in a way that you would be comfortable making public.

If you find at this stage that you feel unclear about what tensions are in play, that is a cue that further conversation is needed - with stakeholders, with colleagues, ... with anyone you know who has personal experience of working on these issues locally.