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Climate Change Skills Fund
What is the Climate Change Skillls Fund?
What is happening in the Yorkshire & Humber?
Who is the fund designed for?
How to access information on the CCSF?
How to get involved?
Climate Change Skills Fund (CCSF)
What is the Climate Change Skills Fund?
The CCSF was announced with the draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS): Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate as part of a climate change policy package. The draft PPS has policy measures to reduce carbon, to adapt to a changing climate and on helping local communities to bring forward renewable energy projects. Moving to a low carbon economy in a changing climate will be central to planning strategies and decisions on planning applications.
To deliver new planning policy, as part of wider action on climate change, on 23rd July, CLG confirmed the package of measures worth £9.75 million nationally to build skills and capacity across the range of local authority responsibilities needed to tackle climate change. Of this sum, £860k has been received by the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement and Efficiency Partnership.
Broadly, the funding is to support the decentralisation of power to the local level by enhancing the skills and knowledge planners need, including in planning for increased renewable energy supply, and encouraging local communities to take positive action on climate change. The Fund will be used to support local authorities for the following purposes:
• Facilitating the delivery of increased renewable energy supply through
the activities of local authority planning departments;
• Helping local authorities more broadly, including training for members
and on adaptation and mitigation; and
• Allowing planning departments to promote better community
engagement in the planning process, including on renewables.
What is happening in the Yorkshire and Humber?
In the Yorkshire and Humber the overall CCSF programme consists of four
project areas:
- Leadership, Skills and Support Service - covers elected Member development, planning officers and related professionals’ accredited training. The Support Service will focus on policy development, e.g. further streamling of permitted development rights, supporting LAs to deliver their policy targets (e.g. % of renewables in new development), improve transparency of decision making and reducing appeals.
- Best Practise Hub - focuses on built environment best practise mitigation/adaptation work and learning.
- Heritage Assets and Low Carbon Renovation - improving planning policy to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy generation in historical/listed buildings.
- Community Engagement Programme - working with all localities to support realisation of the benefits of renewables, how to get them installed, and how to be well adapted to a changing climate.
The Programme is designed to help:
- Local Authorities;
- Planning Officers (both Policy and Development Management);
- Building control officers;
- Conservation Officers;
- Sustainability Officers;
- Developers;
- Elected Members;
- House builders and local communities.
How to access information on the CCSF?
Information about the Fund and specific projects will be accessible on the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement and Efficiency Partnership website at www.yohrspace.org.uk or the Climate Change Partnership website at www.yourclimate.org as projects are developed and approved for delivery.
How to get involved?
If you would like further information on the CCSF or you would like to be involved in one of the four project areas please email ruth.hardingham@lgyh.gov.uk or tel: 01924 331 626.