Supplementary Pack 2 - Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group 310124
Argyll and Bute Council · 31 January 2024
Back to Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group — 31 January 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RT Tel: 01546605522 DX 599700 LOCHGILPHEAD 30 January 2024 SUPPLEMENTARY PACK 2 MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMUNITY PLANNING GROUP - ON A HYBRID BASIS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS AND IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, KILMORY, LOCHGILPHEAD on WEDNESDAY, 31 JANUARY 2024 at 10:00 AM. BUSINESS 6. PARTNER UPDATES (k) Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface Update (Pages 3 - 4) 9. CLIMATE CHANGE (a) Addressing the Climate Emergency in Argyll and Bute: Argyll and Bute Climate Action (Pages 5 - 8) Report by Climate Change Project Manager (b) Climate Action Team Update (Pages 9 - 10) Update by Climate Action Team Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group Councillor John Armour (Chair) Ian Brodie (Vice-Chair) Contact: Iona Campbell, Senior Committee Assistant; Tel: 01436 658 801 Public Document Pack
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MAKI Community Planning Group 31st January 2024 Argyll and Bute TSI Update Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund 2023-24 The TSI has been reviewing applications for year three of the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund (CMHWB Fund). Funds to be disbursed total £282k but requests for support amounted to double this amount from over 70 organisations. Applications were particularly strong this year and indicate the level of need in Argyll and Bute. 42 groups have been supported and grant letters are being sent out. Groups that have been unsuccessful will be offered support from their TSSA and signposted to other available funds. Community Wealth Building Strategy Report The TSI has been leading on the commissioning of a Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategy and action plan for Argyll and Bute’s Community Planning Partnership. The January 2024 meeting approved the 20 high level recommendations, and the April 2024 CPP meeting will approve the final report. All recommendations are centred around the five pillars:- • Plural ownership of the economy. • Making financial power work for local places. • Fair employment and just labour markets. • Progressive procurement of goods and services. • Socially productive use of land and property. Watch this space for further work to implement the recommendations as well as the forthcoming Scottish Government legislation on CWB. Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN) With funding from the Scottish Government Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT) is leading on the establishment of the Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network, supported by Time for Change and the TSI. The goal of the network is to provide grassroots community level support to promote climate knowledge, mitigation and action. There are four local engagement leads mirroring the administrative areas of Argyll and Bute and to March 2024 there is £40,000 in seed capital funding available for micro and small climate action projects. See https://www.argylltsi.org/climate-action-network-fund.html and apply by 10th February. Towards a TSI strategy 2024-2029 Page 3 Agenda Item 6k
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Following on from the development of the Community Planning Partnerships new ten-year plan the TSI will be consulting with community groups over the next three months about what you want your TSI to do to support your community and community groups. More details in February about ways to have your say. TSI website The TSI is launching a new website on February 20th and there will be new ways of getting help and support for members. This is the start of providing a much more interactive website and we look forward to hearing your views on how it works. In 2023 we launched a new funding portal and in 2022 we launched a community directory. The TSI is committed to investing in new digital services which can help promote the work we do and make some tasks easier. Fairer Funding The TSI network has been working with SCVO on a fairer funding campaign and all TSIs are looking to develop a long term campaign to demonstrate the impact of our sector on our communities. Ultimately we want recognition of the work we all do to be reflected in three year funding settlement agreements as well as greater transparency on funding decisions and involvement of the sector in service planning discussions. Page 4
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group Date: 31 January 2024 Addressing the Climate Emergency in Argyll and Bute: Argyll and Bute Climate Action 1.0 Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the CPP Argyll And Bute Climate Action project: developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. 2.0 Recommendations The CPG are asked to: • Note the approach and status of the project outlined in the report. 3.0 Background The CPP sub-group working on climate change is known as the Climate Change Working Group. It took a fresh look at its remit and potential outputs, which have ultimately centred on producing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. The plan is to be produced by employing a Climate Change Project Manager to lead on the process, who is now in post. This update sets out the current position. 4.0 Detail 4.1 Funding update The Climate Change Working Group pulled together a funding package to support the post of the Climate Change Project Manager, which was estimated to be in the region of £120,000 over two years. Funding is now mostly in place. £30,000 NHS Highland - Argyll & Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Page 5 Agenda Item 9a
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£50,000 Argyll and Bute Council £15,000 NatureScot £20,000 Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface (TSI) Total = £115,000 There is still a small shortfall, with approximately £13,500 needing to be found to cover the final months of the project, approximately August to October 2025. Thank you to all those supporting the project. 4.2 Progress The CPP Climate Change Project Manager, Andy Macpherson, started in post on 30 October 2023, working 0.8 FTE and employed by Argyll & the Isles Coast & Countryside Trust (ACT). Since starting in post, main activity has been: • One to one meetings with Steering Group, CWG members and other key personnel to identify priorities • Steering Group, ACT Board and CPP Management Group meetings • Meetings with core/potential national partners, notably Sustainable Scotland Network and Adaptation Scotland including discussion of methodology suitable for specific needs of Argyll versus more urban regions. AS have offered some dedicated time from April 2024 to support development of the Strategy • including reviewing methodology but are also actively engaged in supporting • Nearing the end of initial literature review to inform methodology and best practice in addition to known progress and gap analysis • Supporting Islay Energy Trust in collaboration with Adaptation Scotland to work up and secure funding for pilot participatory mapping project on Islay with a view to enable further rollout to support climate impact profiling and risk assessment across Argyll and Bute. Immediate next steps are: • Any changes to work packages/timing • Brand and image • Confirm engagement programme in conjunction with Climate Hubs • Work up draft vision to bring back to Steering Group, CPP and communities • Start work on Theory of Change • Structure proposal (incl gap analysis format) 4.3 ABCAN (Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network) Hub Page 6
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The Climate Change Strategy project works in close conjunction with the ABCAN (Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network) Hub, which sits within the wider suite of Act Now climate projects in which ACT is engaged. With Scottish Government funding, and overseen by a collaboration between ACT, Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface and Time for Change Argyll & Bute, the Argyll & Bute Climate Action Hub is working to establish a network of hubs based in each locality, providing staff resource to coordinate and build on current climate activities, deliver carbon literacy training, facilitate climate conversations, provide seed funding for climate mitigation, engage with hard-to-reach groups and identify opportunities for partnership working across the region to ensure that Argyll & Bute has a cohesive approach to tackling climate change in our communities. The ABCAN Hub project is ideally placed to support the strategic CPP Argyll & Bute Climate Action project with grass roots engagement as other Climate Hubs in Scotland are doing. ABCAN funding and governance are separate to the Climate Change Strategy project. 4.3 Governance Andy’s work will be lined managed by ACCT and guided and supported by the project Steering Group, a sub-set of the CPP Climate Change Working Group. The CPP Climate Change Working Group will moderate its activity while this project is ongoing, and meet once a quarter rather than the monthly meetings we have been holding. Stan Phillips has completed his term as the Chair of the CPP Climate Change Working Group. Current arrangements are for Rona Gold to take on the role on an interim basis, with Stephen Kelly (Station Commander, Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service) acting as Deputy Chair. We would still be interested in hearing from anyone willing to take on a term as Chair of this group, and thanks go to Stan Phillips for his contribution as Chair that has led to this stage. Andy Macpherson, Climate Change Project Manager For more information, please contact: Andy Macpherson andy@act-now.org.uk Page 7
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Climate Action Team Update Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group – 31/01/24 Our Campbeltown-based Climate Action Team will reach the end of its funded 6 months at the end of February, with a celebratory Climate Action Activities Day on Feb 24th. The Kintyre Grows part of the project may have a small amount of funding to keep going, and we are still seeking other possible sources of funding as we would love to continue our work after such excellent beginnings. Just to mention some highlights of the 6 months: We co-ordinated a series of local events for Scottish Climate Week including the second Climate Action Towns workshop where local input collected was used to create a “climate/environment” addendum to add to the Campbeltown Community Action Plan 2022-2027 We initiated an Atlantic Rainforest educational project in response to the “local diversity protection” aspiration from the Climate Action Towns workshop. This began with an initial talk from a local and a visiting expert, and was followed with an open visit to Torrisdale Estate to explore both the estate’s regeneration/sustainability work and share rainforest markers that people can use to spot further remnants. It has then taken off in all directions, with the discovery by community members of rare species, visits from renowned rainforest specialists, scoping exercises regarding pilot projects for preservation and regeneration, and laision commencing with landowners, forestry and windfarm bodies as part of this. We have bought in loupes (magnifying eyeglasses) and species guides to assist local discovery. As a result of all the above, the Kintyre Rainforest Alliance will be launched on Feb 24th and will continue as a project in its own right. We are drafting a local Campbeltown “green map”, in both simplified paper format and using the online shareware GreenMap resource; at minimum, this will promote local circular economy resources, highlight the new community gardening sites, point to local foraging resources, and also show predicted flood risk lines for the town. The online map has the potential to expand to the larger Kintyre region, for example to include some of the Atlantic rainforest remnants which are the most appropriate to visit, as they are identified. We researched other Scottish projects that have aimed to phase single use cups out, and reuseable takeaway cups in, with a similar plan for Campbeltown, to support our cafes to encourage customer behaviour change before the single use surcharge arrives in 2025. The "Campbeltown EcoCup" will be launched in February (subsidised branded cups provided for sale at £5) and a possible future stage 2 would be adding in a cup borrowing scheme as per Yoyo cups. In partnership with the local cinema, we launched the first Campbeltown Climate Action Film Festival, now planned to continue for the next 3 years We supported local zero-waste/refill shop Kintyre Weigh to obtain Build-It funding from First Port for business development. We helped run a school workshop at S3 level along with Climate Action Towns, which has led to scheduling meetings between a student representative and companies involved in distillery expansion, to find out what steps for sustainability are involved, and the opportunity to report back via the Campbeltown Courier. Page 9 Agenda Item 9b
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We created a "Proud to be part of Campbeltown's Circular Economy" poster along with the plan of a Courier article highlighting the value of circular economy shops and resources, and the featuring of some of these at the Feb 24th event Regarding the Kintyre Grows project specially, engagement commenced with inviting those interested to a meeting over local pumpkin soup, and a seasonable pumpkin picking day. The reclaiming of various different local sites followed, involving nurseries, schools and community groups, and the redesign of the Gateway Garden (rather an eyesore for sometime) has begun, with multiple groups signed up to grow food in raised beds. Hannah is visiting schools and community groups to support their own development of growing projects, whilst Ed has been specialising in fruit growing and composting support. The Kintyre Grows facebook group now exists for people to ask their own growing questions and receive support and advice. We signed up "climate champions" early on to help with a two way flow of ideas and info, and generally there has been promotion of Climate Action in the community, including postering, fliering, one-to-one meetings, Climate Action stalls at local fairs, updating Kintyre Climate Action facebook page with inspiring/educational info/events from wider the climate networks and organisations, and creating a database of local contacts across several themes. I am also just about to head off to the Flooding Resilience Conference in Glasgow next week, and wonder if anyone else from MAKI will be attending? Best wishes Sharyn Page 10