Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director for Place Management.

This report updates Members regarding the progress of the Stockport Climate Action Now (CAN) Fund since it launched in November 2021. It provides an overview of how the funding scheme works, examples of projects already funded by the scheme, eligibility for funding, details of how the fund has been allocated and where, and how Members can help promote the take-up of the CAN Fund.

The Area Committee is recommended to note the report.

Officer contact: Nick Leslie by email nick.leslie@stockport.gov.uk

Nick Leslie (Head of Climate Action Now, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) regarding the progress of the Stockport Climate Action Now (CAN) Fund since it launched in November 2021 and providing an overview of how the funding scheme worked, examples of projects already funded by the scheme, eligibility for funding, details of how the fund had been allocated and where, and how Members could help promote the take-up of the CAN Fund.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Members were encouraged to advertise the availability of the CAN funding in their local areas and to encourage local community groups to contact the CAN Team if they needed support in developing ideas.

·         Applications for larger sums of money, above £500, were now being considered by the CAN Team. Members queried whether this would be applied retroactively, but it was commented that no previous application had exceeded the £500 limit.

·         Examples of CAN schemes were provided such as, insulation in community halls, fuel-using park equipment being replaced by electric equipment, biodiversity enhancement such as tree planting and veg growing, awareness is also important.

·         Members questioned how the CAN funding had been promoted previously. It was commented that members of the CAN team had attended Area Committees, held climate assemblies in local schools and would be holding a CAN summit on 15 July 2022 which local people were invited to attend in person or online.

·         Members highlighted that it was important not to exclude residents who could not be engaged digitally, for instance by providing paper copies of CAN information to local libraries.

·         Members thanked officers for their work on this project and supported the goal of mitigating and reducing local carbon emissions.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.