Funding to help Cambridgeshire tackle climate change
A multi-million pound funding package to help restore the area’s depleted natural capital and address the impact of climate change is set to be approved.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority will discuss funding of almost £5m for seven projects at its board meeting on Monday, June 27.
They include a £2m pot for a care home retrofit scheme to support businesses to reduce carbon emissions and £1m for a net zero villages programme, which will fund small-scale community-led projects to move toward a net zero future.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “These innovative projects are just what Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are calling for to help towards our net zero carbon future.
“We have a responsibility to be championing and supporting projects that take us in the right direction
“The co-benefits of looking after our environment are painfully clear. Investing in the mitigation of climate change and protecting the local environment now will ultimately be paid back with greater green spaces to enjoy, healthier living, cheaper energy and better flood management.”
Funding of £280,000 is proposed for the Logan’s Meadow local nature reserve wetland extension and £210,000 to support Natural Cambridgeshire to deliver its Doubling Nature ambition.
Bids for the projects were introduced in the Combined Authority budget in December 2021 in response to the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) consultation where members of the public and key stakeholders were asked for their views on the new draft sustainable growth ambition.
The projects have undergone a thorough process to ensure that they fit within the Combined Authority policy framework which involved scoring them against the newly approved six keys and contribution to the local economy alongside strategy fit and affordability.
Under review from the Combined Authority Assurance Framework, all business cases have been considered to clearly contribute to these objectives as well as those in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Climate Action Plan.
If the projects are approved, they will move into the delivery phase where progress will be continually monitored and evaluated.
The proposals had been due to be discussed by the Combined Authority’s board on June 8, but the meeting was adjourned.
