Highland Council announces a £480,000 investment from new revenue budget to tackle climate change
The Highland Council will invest £480,000 from its revenue budget as part of its commitment to tackling climate change.
Some of the investment will be the introduction of three new posts which will focus on bringing in external funding to support low carbon and cost saving projects (principally around fleet decarbonisation, community food growing initiatives as well as the Council’s approach to hydrogen and low carbon heat opportunities).
The remaining balance will be used to put the Council on a firm footing from which to explore other funding opportunities to expedite its decarbonisation efforts.
The investment is part of Highland Council’s overarching ‘Ambitious Highland – Health and Prosperity Strategy for 2021/22’ and sits within the Recovery, Improvement and Transformation Fund strand.
The Scottish Government has pledged to end Scotland’s contribution to climate change no later than 2045. All public bodies have a duty to support and work towards this target under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as amended by the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019.
At a meeting of The Highland Council on 9 May 2019, Members agreed that the local authority should declare a climate and ecological emergency, whilst recommitting to achieve a carbon neutral Highland by 2025.
Chair Highland Council’s Climate Change Working Group, Cllr Trish Robertson, said: “The transformation required now is to shape the Council’s programme, key internal policies and capital programme to ensure a best fit with the Programme for Government, specifically around the climate change agenda.
“The announcement of this new funding for climate change will help to support the Council’s ambition to secure maximum levels of external funding for climate change actions.”
She added: “It is also essential that the Council sets out how it can maximise the benefit of its land holdings to support national climate change targets, for example through afforestation and identify any funding streams or internal policy changes which could support this.”
The programme of work will identify key financial and non-financial opportunities around the low carbon agenda for the whole Highland region, especially in relation to how the Council can best support and promote the public goods the region can deliver, sequestration of carbon through forestry, peatland preservation and restoration etc, with a view to being in a better position to demonstrate leadership and market Highland as a truly low carbon region.
Part of the funding will see the arrival of a new dedicated Food Growing/Community Engagement Officer to lead of taking forward the Council’s obligations in its food growing strategy, Growing Our Future.
This will include the identification of suitable land for food growing, allotment opportunities, opportunities through the Council’s amenities review to reduce budget pressures whilst supporting increased community growing/wildflower planting schemes.
This work will also involve liaison with Highland food growing groups to support the expansion of schemes and increase community involvement; and development of a Highland Food Growing Network to support Highland access to knowledge, equipment and land.
The Climate Change project will also focus on the development of a net zero action plan for the Council, identifying key areas of focus across services with a view to developing outline project plans and funding bids. The funding will also herald the arrival of a new Growth Investment Manager.
The climate change project will also oversee the development of strategic control plans (SCP) for key service functions directly related to climate change agenda, in collaboration with service leads e.g. property, fleet, waste, energy etc.
It will also develop corporately agreed hydrogen & low carbon heat strategies to ensure the Council benefits from the energy-systems transformation that these technologies will bring to the region.
Cllr Robertson added: “It is essential that we ensure that opportunities within the capital programme are maximised in respect of delivering carbon reduction for both the Council and wider region.
“It is also important we identify and develop energy and fleet projects with partners which can secure external funding e.g. through Scottish Cities Alliance, COSLA, Sustainable Scotland Network etc.”
This work will provide a focus on the decarbonisation of the fleet (Greening the Fleet) i.e. electric and hydrogen alternatives, to ensure we work towards the Scottish Government target and Highland Council’s ambition to decarbonise the light commercial fleet by 2025, and our heavy goods fleet by 2030.
Spokesman for the opposition on Economy and Infrastructure, Cllr Derek Louden, said: “The extra staff will provide support for the existing Climate Change team for income generation, especially in relation to carbon sequestration where opportunities exit for a significant increase in tree planting to offset climate change. I hope this will be a clear focus for the additional staff."