Agenda item

            The Members of the Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report

 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek Members approval for the following funding agreements, which are required to support delivery of Belfast’s programme of climate activity:

 

-        Linenquarter BID - £20,000 contribution towards the delivery of the Festival of the Circular Economy, which will align with COP26;

 

-        Common Purpose - £10,000 contribution towards the delivery of the Common Purpose Legacy Programme which will focus on young leaders roles in relation to climate and be scheduled in advance of COP26;

 

-        Woodland Trust - £45,000 for the delivery of volunteer coordination, community outreach and support for PR and communication for the Belfast One Million Trees Programme.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Members of the Committee are asked to recommend that, in accordance with the Council decision of 4th May, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to approve the awarding of funding agreements to the following organisations which are supporting the delivery of the Belfast Resilience Strategy and the programme of climate activity linked to COP26, which runs from 1st to 12th November. 

 

-        Linenquarter BID - £20,000 contribution towards the delivery of the Festival of the Circular Economy, which will align with COP26 in November 2021;

 

-        Common Purpose - £10,000 contribution towards the delivery of the Common Purpose Legacy Programme, which will focus on young leaders roles in relation to climate and be scheduled for October 2021, in advance of COP26;

 

-        The Woodland Trust - £45,000 for the delivery of volunteer coordination, community outreach and support for PR and communication for the Belfast One Million Trees Programme over a 3 year period.

 

            Members are also asked to note the ongoing work by officers on the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and WWF One Planet City Challenge.

 

3.0       Main Report

 

3.1       The Climate Team within Council is leading on the delivery of the Belfast Resilience Strategy Ambitions Document and a number of associated workstreams such as planning for COP26, engagement with and capacity building for young people, and the development of Council’s own Climate Plan.

 

3.2       Three projects are planned which require funding agreements to be put in place to allow delivery to take place. These are:

 

3.3       Linenquarter BID Festival of Circular Economy

 

The Linenquarter BID Festival of Circular Economy event will support business engagement around the concept of circular economy and will include high profile speakers including Belfast Lord Mayor and the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. The event is one of the key events in the City’s programme of activity during the COP26 fortnight and will provide a platform to engage with business on a range of climate issues in the future. The Council is requested to fund £20,000 of a total £100,000 budget. The Council’s contribution is included in the existing City and Organisational Strategy budget provision for the current financial year.

 

3.4       The event organisers will ensure that the event is linked to the ambitions of the Resilience Strategy and will acknowledge the role of Belfast City Council and the Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board in supporting the event.  The organisers will also produce an Evaluation Report for the event, which will demonstrate how it supports the ambitions of the Resilience Strategy.

 

3.5       Further information will be provided to Members as the event content and dates are confirmed.

 

Common Purpose Legacy Programme

 

3.6       The Common Purpose Northern Ireland Legacy Programme is an engagement and capacity building programme focused on young people.

 

3.7     Legacy programmes convene up to 100 young leaders (18-25 year-olds) – in and out of work, studying, campaigning and volunteering - to shape the future of their communities.    The programme challenges them to think 20-30 years ahead to what their legacy will be and builds their confidence, know-how and social capital as well as identifying opportunities for them to get more involved in things ahead.   Common Purpose have held Legacy programmes in Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford in 2020.  Common Purpose plan to run second programmes in each of those cities as well as in Northern Ireland, Lancashire, Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2021. 

 

3.8       The Northern Ireland programme dates are 14th -15th October and 18th – 19th October 2021. The central challenge that the group will address is: How do we act together to transform our community into a cleaner and greener space for all?

 

3.9       Sponsorship of £10,000 from the Council for this regional programme will secure 10 places for Belfast.  The Council will work with Common Purpose to ensure that participation from Belfast targets agreed cohorts under our Inclusive Growth ambitions, partner organisations/community sector and young staff within BCC.  The Council will also input to the curriculum explore how we can contribute on the programme itself. 

 

3.10     Further information for the Legacy Programme will also be provided to Members as the event content and Belfast participation is confirmed.

 

The Woodland Trust – Belfast One Million Trees Programme

 

3.11     Members will be aware that the Council leads and coordinates the Belfast One Million Trees Programme, working with a diverse range of partners across the city. A city steering group includes representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. At the heart of the programme is a partnership with The Woodland Trust, who support a core delivery team which includes Belfast Hills Partnership, The Conservation Volunteers and the National Trust.

 

            In April 2021, the Council secured £289,000 external funding through the Emergency Tree Fund for a number of critical workstreams to the success of the project, such as environmental impact assessments, tree nursery development, tree maintenance plans, tree planting, volunteer coordination, community engagement and education, communication, the development of the Belfast Tree Strategy, and the production of a Belfast I-Tree ECO Report.

 

3.12     This external funding is managed by the Council’s Climate Team, with the support of colleagues in City and Neighbourhood Services. To facilitate delivery of the Volunteer Coordination, Community Engagement/Education and communication support role we propose to enter into a funding agreement with the Woodland Trust, who are the key delivery partner in the initiative. Funding will be £45,000 over a 3-year period, which will be fully funded through the external funding received through the Emergency Tree Fund. A detailed plan will be developed based on funding targets and an agreed programme of activity which will be monitored and evaluated through the Climate Team.

 

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and WWF One Planet City Challenge

 

3.13     Members are asked to note that the Council has made a submission to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) – ICLEI reporting platform, which is a global reporting framework to assess progress against climate ambitions at city level and is required as a prerequisite to a number of global climate campaigns.  This submission will be assessed by CDP, with feedback and a score provided to the city by the end of 2021, which will inform the submission in 2022.  A further report on CDP and other associate initiatives will be brought to committee at a future date.

 

3.14     The One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) is a friendly competition which supports cities in developing climate action plans and targets that align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C maximum global warming goal.   The OPCC recognises leading cities at the national and global level and inspires other cities to join the movement. In 2021, the OPCC celebrates 10 years of engagement during which time they have seen the participation of nearly 600 cities in over 50 countries. 

 

3.15     To participate in the One Planet City Challenge cities must register by 31st August 2021 and Members are asked to note that work is underway to register Belfast for OPCC.

 

            Financial and Resource Implications

 

            Linenquarter BID Festival of Circular Economy and Common Purpose Legacy Programme

 

3.16     The £20,000 contribution to the development and delivery of the Linenquarter BID Festival of Circular Economy and £10,000 sponsorship for Common Purpose Legacy Programme will be funded from existing City and Organisational Strategy budget provision.

 

            The Woodland Trust – Belfast One Million Trees Programme

 

3.17     The allocation of £45,000 over a 3-year period will be fully funded through the external funding received from the Emergency Tree Fund.

 

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.18     The participant selection process for the Common Purpose Legacy Programme will be reviewed to ensure that it is fully representative.”

 

            The Members of the Committee agreed to recommend that, in accordance with the Council decision of 4th May, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to adopt the recommendations contained within the report.