Argyll and Bute Climate Action: Developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute Council · 14 May 2025
Back to Oban Lorn & the Isles Area Community Planning Group — 14 May 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group Date: 30 April 2025 Argyll and Bute Climate Action: developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. 1.0 Purpose The purpose of this report is report is to provide an update on the Community Planning Partnership’s climate change strategy and to ask OLI ACPG for any further recommendations on groups to engage with to inform further development of the action plan. 2.0 Recommendations The CPG is asked to note the approach and status of the project outlined in the report and to provide any comments or feedback to the project manager. 3.0 Background The CPP’s Climate Change Working Group is producing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. Argyll & the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT) are the employing body for the Climate Change Project Manager leading on the process, and the post (0.8 FTE) is funded by the CPP from end October 2023 to October 2025. This update sets out the current position. 4.0 Detail 4.1 Progress 4.1.1 Strategy The draft strategy was presented to the Climate Change Working Group, the CPP Full Partnership and Area CPGs over September to April 2025, with requests for feedback and comments including appropriate engagement opportunities. Based on the feedback received, the updated strategy was submitted to the CPP Management Committee and formally approved in April 2025. A copy of the strategy
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submitted to the Management Committee accompanies this set of papers, with the final version and appendices to be published on the CPP web pages. The strategy emphasises action on six key areas identified as being those most within the CPP’s ability to control or influence: o Infrastructure (including natural infrastructure) o Policy Influence o Skills, Procurement and Supply Chain o Resilience/Carbon Literacy o Risk Assessment o Crosscutting/Other Based upon feedback from communities and stakeholders, particularly in the wake of Storm Eowyn, the CPP Management Committee agreed that Resilience should be foremost among these. 4.1.2 Action Plan This was accompanied by an outline action plan, reviewed by two sessions of the Climate Change Working Group, also based around the six areas of action and using layout and structure similar to a range of action plans currently in place among CPP member organisations. A copy of the paper submitted to the Management Committee accompanies this set of papers. The Management Committee agreed that with the emphasis of the project for the remainder of the funded period should be to continue to work up the action plan and pilot projects. Further input at Area level on groups to engage with to inform further development of the Action Plan would be especially useful and the project officer would any further suggestions or recommendations on the most appropriate groups to contact, particularly with regard to community resilience. 4.1.3 Community Resilience The Management Committee noted views from participants, including Area CPGs, around the importance of community resilience and agreed that the project officer should emphasise activity around resilience, including support on climate change dimensions to community resilience plans. The Management Committee also noted feedback that engaging directly with communities such as via Community Councils to develop climate risk assessments to inform community resilience plans would likely represent better value for money with the budget available than seeking to commission a “top down” climate change risk assessment from the leading consultants in the field.
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OLI ACPG’s initiative to establish a sub group to work on community resilience plans resilience provides an excellent opportunity to take this forward and the Climate Change Project Manager is keen to work with the group to assist with climate change dimensions to this wherever practicable. 4.1.4 Legacy The Management Committee asked the Steering Group to consider the potential for use of any unsent budget to undertake further risk assessment and associated work around resilience beyond the end of October (ie beyond the current funded period), for the Management Committee to approve or otherwise at its meeting on 6 June. The Management Committee also asked the Steering Group to develop an outline proposal for a partnership project to take forward joint actions, also to consider on 6 June, including what future financial contribution CPP partners might make. An approach has been suggested in anticipation of eg successor to Lottery Climate Action Fund for formal partnerships, working across sectors, c£0.5-£1.5m over 3-5 years. 4.2 Next Steps Immediate next steps are: • Ongoing engagement at all levels, including Areas • Legacy proposals for Management Committee 6 June • Ongoing development of action plan • Support community resilience and risk assessments Andy Macpherson, Climate Change Project Manager For more information, please contact: Andy Macpherson andy@act-now.org.uk