Green Living Fund 2023-24 - Funding Awards
Perth and Kinross Council · 20 March 2024
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 20 March 2024 and its agenda
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee 20 March 2024 GREEN LIVING FUND 2023/24 – FUNDING AWARDS Report by Head of Culture & Communities Services (Report No. 24/93) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report informs Committee of the funding commitments made through Participatory Budgeting in the 2023/24 Green Living Fund across the seven Local Action Partnership (LAP) localities. . £215,386 was awarded to 37 projects which impact on themes relating to climate action and helping people with the cost of living. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee: (i) notes the funding awarded through participatory budgeting for 2023/24 Green Living Fund and recommendations for any future participatory budgeting exercise. (ii) approves the carry-forward of £7,146 to be retained for further allocation. (iii) agrees that a report on 2024/25 funding will be brought to Committee on 19 June 2024. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Funding Decisions • Section 6: Areas for Improvement for Future PB • Section 7: Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 In March 2023, the Council approved £200,000 for Local Action Partnerships (LAPs) to jointly deliver a Participatory Budgeting (PB) programme with officers in Culture and Communities Services. Report 23/194 set out the proposed process for running PB in 2023/24, later titled the Green Living Fund. Committee further agreed that this should focus on supporting communities with the cost of living and responding to climate change.
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4.2 The £200,000 allocated for PB was divided, as agreed by Committee, on the basis of population in each of the seven LAP localities. This was then added to remaining underspends in each LAP area. 80% of that figure was then made available for the PB exercise, with the remaining 20% retained for future LAP allocation. The total funding for PB available in each locality is summarised below. LAP Locality Total PB Budget Eastern Perthshire £38,360 Highland £19,663 Strathtay £41,112 Strathearn & Strathallan £25,716 Kinross-shire £23,863 Almond and Earn £23,899 Perth City £49,919 TOTAL £222,532 4.3 The Participatory Budgeting process was delivered through the CONSUL platform. This is a participation platform with capabilities to run PB exercises, citizen debates, polling and collaborative legislation processes. It is provided through COSLA, who offer free access to local authorities. 4.4 The Green Living Fund opened for proposal submissions at the end of October 2023. Community groups were asked to submit project ideas that help their communities with the cost of living, whilst also making a positive contribution towards tackling climate change. 5 themes were identified, with proposals required to impact on at least one of them: • Energy - reducing consumption, promoting efficiency • Transport - encouraging active travel, decarbonising transport • Waste - reduce, reuse and recycle • Resilience - improving greenspace, biodiversity, local food growing • Engagement - increasing public awareness and engaging communities 4.5 Submissions were received through the PKC Community Choices website, designed using the CONSUL platform, with support from COSLA. Groups were asked to describe their proposals and how much funding they needed. Bids were also required to provide a full cost breakdown and assurances of any required licenses or permissions being approved, or applied for. 4.6 The deadline for proposals was 22 December, with 53 proposals received across all LAP localities. Screening of the proposals took place in January 2024, with Council officers from relevant departments assessing the proposals to ensure they were deliverable. Members of active LAPs were then asked to share their feedback on the proposals to complete the screening stage. In the areas where LAPs are currently inactive, elected members were approached for their views. 51 proposals were progressed to the voting stages. One proposal in Perth City was withdrawn at the request of the applicant, and one in Eastern Perthshire was unable to complete the required elements of the proposal.
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4.7 In all but one locality, the value of the proposals going to public vote exceeded the budget available, meaning that a PB voting process was required. In Strathtay, the total value of proposals received was less than the budget available, meaning a public vote was not required. The Convenor of the Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee and local ward members agreed that approval for these proposals would be decided by the ward members, with funding subsequently awarded. The number of proposals received across all localities and those progressed to the voting stage is detailed below: LAP Locality Funding Available Proposals Received Funding Requested Proposals Progressed Funding Requested Eastern Perthshire £38,360 14 £94,491 13 £87,491 Highland £19,663 7 £34,315 7 £34,315 Strathtay £41,112 5 £33,966 5 £33,966 Strathearn & Strathallan £25,716 5 £29,350 5 £29,350 Kinross-shire £23,863 9 £39,133 9 £39,133 Almond and Earn £23,899 3 £29,108 3 £29,108 Perth City £49,919 10 £121,504 9 £111,904 TOTALS £222,532 53 £381,867 51 £365,267 4.8 Voting took place from 12 February to 1 March 2024. 2,050 users cast 4,978 votes online, with support being offered through drop-ins with local Community Learning and Development (CLD) teams and IT access in local libraries. Local community members registered on the PK Community Choices website, using their own details or a series of unique pre-registered accounts provided by COSLA. CLD and Culture Perth and Kinross (CPK) libraries staff received training on the voting process to allow them to support residents with the voting process where necessary. 4.9 The voting process allowed individuals to vote for as many projects as they wished to support until they reach the funding limit for their locality.
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5. FUNDING DECISIONS 5.1 The following voting stage results were made in each LAP locality area, with awards to be paid out to successful applicants by the end of March 2024: Eastern Perthshire Group Project Funding Kirkmichael Community Garden Kirkmichael Community Garden £7,500 Wisecraft Wisecraft Blooms: Renewal and Wellbeing £5,435 Tayside Upcycling & Craft Centre Learn How to Upcycle Furniture £5,000 Blairgowrie & Rattray Development Trust Reducing Surplus Food Waste and making it available to all £3,433 Biodiversity Blair BaRI Growers – learning how to grow your own food £340 Madoch Centre Net Zero – sustainable future for Madoch Centre £8,000 Rattray Community Garden Rattray Community Garden – water collection & running costs £2,576 Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council Rooted in Blairgowrie & Rattray – A fruit tree planted for each baby born in B&R £2,930 Blairgowrie and Rattray Day Opportunities Our Garden Community Opportunity £3,146 TOTAL £38,360 Highland Group Project Funding Handam Tool Library in Aberfeldy and Pitlochry £6,000 Pitlochry Garden Share Community Food Growing in Pitlochry £5,415 Birks Cinema Empowering folk to envisage tangible action through film screenings discussions £2,000 Draft and Flow CIC Cycle Hub and Workshop in Aberfeldy £6,248 TOTAL £19,663
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Strathtay Group Project Funding Bankfoot Foodshare Indoor Pantry No cost, Low cost Pantry £10,156 Perthshire Organic Gardeners From Soil to Seed and Back Again: food growing for a changing planet £3,482 Rewilding Denmarkfield Denmarkfield Allotments Community Hub £9,988 Climate Cafe Hub Climate Chat & Action - Events & workshops £5,390 West Stormont Woodland Group Wizzy-WARP24 £4,950 TOTAL £33,966 Strathearn & Strathallan Group Project Funding Cycle Crieff CIC Cargo bikes and increased bike access and recognition £5,000 Auchterarder Community Bus Group Auchterarder Town Bus Service £10,000 Crieff in Leaf Crieff in Leaf £3,110 Remake Scotland Remake Refills High Street Relocation £7,606 TOTAL £25,716 Kinross-shire Group Project Funding Glenfarg Community Transport Group Glenfarg Connectivity £3,000 Kinross Mens Shed Mens Shed Insulation and Heating £5,000 Milnathort and Orwell Community Council Milnathort Core Paths £1,456 Greener Glenfarg Greener Glenfarg Group £250 Freewheelers Glenfarg Better Batteries for our Community E- Bikes – Glenfarg Freewheelers £1,570 Kinross-shire Climate Café Kinross-shire Repair Café* £1,495 Broke Not Broken Broke not Broken: Reducing Food Poverty and Food Miles across Kinross-shire £8,162 Glenfarg Community Centre A Greener Glenfarg Community Centre £2,930 TOTAL £23,863
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Almond & Earn Group Project Funding Dunbarney & Forgandenny Parish Church A Greener Flexible Space for the Community £13,000 Earn Community Council Bus Shelter – Ember All Electric Inter City Bus Service £6,538 Green Shoots Countryside Climate Champions £4,361 TOTAL £23,899 Perth City Group Project Funding Social Flock Social Flock – School Uniform Bank £10,625 Letham Climate Challenge Letham Climate Action – Supporting a Greener Letham £2,324 CATH On the Mend £11,744 Letham4All Waste Not, Want Not £6,627 YMCA Tayside YMCA Tayside – Eco Ambassadors Programme £8,287 Giraffe Perth Good Food Network £3,438 Perth Minorities Association EcoHarmony – Nurturing Sustainable Lifestyles £3,437 Plus Perth Creating a city centre space for nature and nurture £3,437 TOTAL £49,919 5.2 The results of the public vote were announced at a celebration event on 12 March 2024. Over 70 individuals, including representatives from over 40 groups, as well as staff from local support services and elected members were in attendance. The event included an introduction and reminder about the fund and its purpose, before a short presentation from the Council’s Climate Change Team about longer-term support. Results were then announced on a locality-by-locality basis, with further offers of support and advice given to all groups who submitted a bid. 5.3 It is recommended that the remaining underspends be retained for future LAP PB exercises. LAP Locality Funding Available Funding Awarded Underspend Eastern Perthshire £38,360 £38,360 - Highland £19,663 £19,663 - Strathtay £41,112 £33,966 £7,146 Strathearn & Strathallan £25,716 £25,716 - Kinross-shire £23,863 £23,863 - Almond and Earn £23,899 £23,899 - Perth City £49,919 £49,919 - TOTALS £222,532 £215,386 £7,146
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6. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT FOR FUTURE PB 6.1 Through the use of a new system and process, there have been a number of lessons learned and areas of improvement identified. These will be used to improve the user experience for future PB activity through Perth and Kinross Council. 6.2 A fully online process allowed officers to work efficiently and evaluate the proposals quickly in collaboration with colleagues from other service areas. However, concerns were raised about the digital access needs and capabilities of those submitting proposals. The same concerns were raised for the voting process. Accommodations were made to ensure that all could be supported by CLD and CPK libraries staff during voting drop-ins and library opening hours. Further opportunities to increase accessibility will be considered ahead of any future PB exercises. 6.3 It was intended that a more collaborative approach would be conducted with interested groups and staff to co-produce proposals for each area, but this was not feasible due to staff capacity. The Fund opened, inviting proposals from groups who wished to be involved. Some groups attended drop-ins to discuss ideas with CLD staff, however there were also many groups who applied without consulting with staff. In future PB exercises, it may be useful to hold some pre-consultation events facilitated by CLD staff and representatives from relevant PKC services to held co-design applications prior to submission, as this could result in better bids and a smoother process for those applying for funds. 6.4 The Council budget setting process provided a further £400,000 for “investment in local communities,” with £300k for Community Investment Fund and a further £100k for Local Action Partnerships. A further paper will be brought to the meeting of the Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee on 19 June setting out proposals for how this funding will be used. 7. CONCLUSION 7.1 The Green Living Fund supports community-led projects which tackle climate change and the cost of living. This PB exercise has seen £215,386 committed to support 37 separate projects across all seven LAP localities in Perth & Kinross and engaged 2,050 local residents in the voting process.
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Authors Name Designation Contact Details Lee Haxton David Stokoe Community Planning Team Leader Service Manager - Communities 01738 475000 ComCommitteeReports@pkc.gov.uk Approved Name Designation Date Barbara Renton Executive Director (Communities) 13 March 2024 APPENDICES • Appendix 1 – Green Living Fund Proposal Summaries
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Local Outcomes Improvement Plan Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Strategic Environmental Assessment Yes Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) Yes Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal Yes External None Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 Supporting and investing in community-led solutions to locally identified issues contributes to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan / LOIP in terms of the following priorities: (i) Giving every child the best start in life (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations Corporate Plan 1.2 Supporting and investing in community-led solutions to locally identified issues contributes to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Council Corporate Plan in terms of the following priorities: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens; (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations.
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2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 Community Investment Fund has a budget of £410,000 for 2022/23 and funding decisions of £342,588.14 have been made, leaving an underspend of £68,077.64. 2.2 An additional £200,000 of funding was made available for a Participatory Budgeting exercise to be run in conjunction with Local Action Partnerships. A future report will set out how this funding has been used. 3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties. 3.2 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment Process (EqIA) and has been assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.3 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. 3.4 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. Sustainability 3.5 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Council has a general duty to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and the community, environmental and economic impacts of its actions. 3.6 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report.
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4. Consultation Internal 4.1 There has been consultation with the Finance Department, Communities and the Executive Leadership Team. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to a material extent in preparing the above report.