Issue - meetings

(i)       to note that the Council’s Climate and Environment Policy Service had an existing £44,000 annual budget for supporting community environmental improvements, historically directed to communities through a partnership with the now defunct Aberdeen Greenspace Trust. To maximise the benefits of this funding in empowering communities to act on the city’s climate and nature commitments, different funding models had been explored by the Service;

(ii)       to note the Local Environmental Action Fund Pilot summary (Section 3.15) which provided a summary of the project applications received for the recent Pilot with the registered charity NESCAN Hub Limited (North East Scotland Climate Action Network);

(iii)      to approve £44,000 being allocated towards this funding model with NESCAN Hub Limited for 2024/25, which would be met through the existing budgets, and to note that an additional one-off £14,000 underspend carried over from 2023/24 would give a £58,000 allocation in 2024/25;

(iv)      to delegate authority to the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to continue this funding model and agreement with NESCAN Hub Limited on a yearly basis, subject to the annual budget process, in consultation with the Chief Officer of Commercial and Procurement Services on the terms and conditions of the grant;

(v)      to instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to explore options to expand the size and impact of the Fund, e.g. through integrating the Fund with aspects of the Housing Revenue Account and / or other funds, as appropriate. Any such expansion would follow all due internal governance processes; and

(vi)      to instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to include updates on the Fund and impacts thereof within the Council’s existing Annual Climate and Nature Reports, presented to this Committee each autumn.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided on the Local Environmental Action Fund (‘the Fund’) Pilot and advised of the intention to continue this funding model on an annual basis.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that the Council’s Climate and Environment Policy Service had an existing £44,000 annual budget for supporting community environmental improvements, historically directed to communities through a partnership with the now defunct Aberdeen Greenspace Trust. To maximise the benefits of this funding in empowering communities to act on the city’s climate and nature commitments, different funding models had been explored by the Service;

(b)      note the Local Environmental Action Fund Pilot summary (Section 3.15) which provided a summary of the project applications received for the recent Pilot with the registered charity NESCAN Hub Limited (North East Scotland Climate Action Network);

(c)      approve £44,000 being allocated towards this funding model with NESCAN Hub Limited for 2024/25, which would be met through the existing budgets, and to note that an additional one-off £14,000 underspend carried over from 2023/24 would give a £58,000 allocation in 2024/25;

(d)      delegate authority to the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to continue this funding model and agreement with NESCAN Hub Limited on a yearly basis, subject to the annual budget process, in consultation with the Chief Officer of Commercial and Procurement Services on the terms and conditions of the grant;

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to explore options to expand the size and impact of the Fund, e.g. through integrating the Fund with aspects of the Housing Revenue Account and / or other funds, as appropriate. Any such expansion would follow all due internal governance processes; and

(f)       instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to include updates on the Fund and impacts thereof within the Council’s existing Annual Climate and Nature Reports, presented to this Committee each autumn.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.