This five-year programme of activities aims to help stimulate growth in Dorset’s low carbon economy and reduce the county’s carbon footprint.  Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the project is hosted by the council and supports businesses, community, and public sector organisations. The aim is to help improve organisations’ energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy, and aid the development of new low carbon products.

The council provides free technical advice to support organisations to deliver carbon reduction projects and, until recently, grants were available to cover 40% of project costs. Work is underway to secure funding to continue the programme when the current EU funding dries up. The programme is the first of its kind in Dorset, working across two unitary authority areas, covering both the urban and rural county.

This programme may be unique in creating in-house energy expertise via technical officer roles, rather than using funds to buy in energy audit consultancy services, resulting in the council being able to be respond to client needs.  Technical officers support clients from the initial stages of understanding their energy demand, through to completing the installation of their low-carbon measures. This has enabled the council’s knowledge of ‘what really works’ for organisations to grow and adapt how support is provided in future.

Building this knowledge has also enabled the council to share tried and tested tips, by creating sector-specific guidance and case studies. These resources provide other organisations with an insight into the benefits and challenges involved in delivering a low carbon project. The organisations supported are often the most powerful advocates to encourage others to get started on their low carbon journey. Due to the strong relationships they build with technical officers, the council is able to amplify their voices through its communications channels and create peer-to-peer learning opportunities with organisations looking to implement similar projects.

The grant fund has specific innovation criteria for public sector organisations, encouraging innovative, whole-building approaches to reduce energy consumption. The council has supported small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop, test and market new low carbon products, or introduce innovative energy-saving processes to their businesses.

The benefits

The headline outputs for our grant funded projects are:

Carbon emissions reduced by over 10,000 tonnes CO₂ equivalent per year

More than 1,000,000 kWh per year reduction in energy use in public buildings

13 megawatts of renewable energy installed  

64 rented homes with energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations

Seven SMEs developing and testing low carbon innovations.

The programme has also:

Helped SMEs remain viable and protected community spaces through tough economic conditions

Enabled public sector organisations to lead by example and inspire local climate action

Shown low-carbon measures can be installed at sites subject to planning constraints

Helped stimulate growth in Dorset’s low carbon economy

In total, 195 completed projects, plus 16 contracted projects due to complete by the end of January 2023, have received a total of £6.2 million grants. Combined with match funding, this has contributed over £17 million to Dorset’s low carbon economy.  The council has contributed approximately £95,000 towards running costs and internal costs for hosting the project.   In addition to carbon savings, grant supported projects also create financial savings. For example, Dorset Council’s Greenspace Team is estimated to save £5,000 -£10,000 a year thanks to its low carbon project.

The project

The council has produced Town Centre Investment Prospectuses for three towns in the district (Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore). The purpose of each prospectus is to generate future investment into each of the towns and ensure the right type, scale and diversity of development comes forward over the next 20 years.  The objective is to secure both private and public sector investment to help bring forward identified key town centre development opportunities.  It is critical that this pays due regard to the uniqueness of each town and their individual strengths and challenges.

Each investment prospectus identifies primary opportunity or change zone sites as well as ‘softer’, non-development-specific opportunities for intervention.  Deliverability of these opportunity sites is also considered and reflected upon. There is a sliding scale or range of interventions that the council can make dependent on its appetite for change and risk.

Engaging with key stakeholders was an important, if challenging, part of developing the Investment Prospectuses. The council chose to use the opportunity presented by the COVID-19 lockdown to consider the prospects of its town centres. Engagement across the three towns was undertaken virtually. This was the first time the council had used video conferencing technology on this scale to consult on such a complex project. Although initially challenging, it was able to effectively engage with public, private and voluntary sector stakeholders through virtual workshops.

The timing meant that the prospectuses were ready to be launched as lockdown constraints were lifted, enabling the council to crack on with delivering the agreed objectives. A video explaining the project can be viewed here.

The benefits

Town Centre Investment Boards have been created for each town centre to be “enablers”, to do the following:

Identify opportunities/needs.

Consult with vested interests.

Oversee the initiating of projects to the point where the following are secured: Funding, a deliverer and a sustainable operation/investment programme.

Monitor delivery and make interventions if required/allowed.

Bring about the measurement of performance/value for vested interests.

To be able to execute the above roles, the Boards identify:

Needs/opportunities

Projects to meet needs/opportunities

Deliverers

Funders/investors

Method of monitoring/evaluation

This is achieved with considerable support from Wychavon District Council which has appointed a dedicated Place Projects Officer for each town centre lead by a Place Boards Manager.

The role of this team is to ensure the Place Boards do not become a talking shop discussing trivial matters that are not transformational or high impact. Their objective is to maintain focus on key projects and ensure the skills/assets of the members are fully utilised.

The council has allocated significant financial resources, including UK Shared Prosperity Funds to support the delivery of projects.  The Evesham Prospectus informed the submission of a £20 million Levelling Up Fund application in support of a £100 million investment proposal to redevelop the town’s failing shopping centre into a mixed residential and leisure scheme.

Each centre has its own transformational opportunities including the redevelopment of a defunct shopping centre, the construction of a new marina and the expansion of a regional Lido.  Each Town Board comprises of partners from each tier of local government, local businesses, strategic investors and stakeholders representing the respective Civic Societies, Transition Groups and key associations relevant to each Town Centre.

The project

The council is working in partnership with six other local authorities, as part of the Greater Brighton Economic Board, to deliver an insulation and renewable energy programme for 40,000 social homes across their areas. The cross-sector Housing Retrofit Taskforce established in 2021, with partners investing £300,000, will work to unlock the path for local homes to be zero carbon by 2030.

The ‘Lewes’ model empowers local supply chains to encourage economic growth and upskilling, bringing together whole carbon and retrofit experts, alongside universities and partners from all tiers of local government. The taskforce has the overarching objective to future proof the region’s homes.

In turn, it will chart how social housing and public sector buildings can be improved at scale across the region while boosting new skills, quality ‘green-collar’ jobs, and investment in low carbon industries. The partners’ councils agreed to tap into a £1 billion housing repairs and maintenance budget for council-owned social housing to decarbonise these homes.

The taskforce has, in response to the cost-of-living crisis, identified the need to target fuel costs at the same time as developing the supply chain for retrofit. However, the costs of deep retrofit rising steadily alongside inflation has indicated a funding gap in local Housing Revenue Account accounts.

The Benefits

The taskforce has now undertaken its initial research. This proved the premise of the collaboration that by leveraging council budgets alongside long-term collaboration, is the optimal manner to deliver long-term retrofit planning.

The partnership will now move into design and mobilisation of the programme, seeking grant funding from central government ready to deliver zero carbon homes by 2030.

This collaboration will deliver mass retrofitting in the fact of stop-start funding for retrofitting of private homes and social housing. By kickstarting the market through their own housing stock, this will develop the skills and market required to deliver a comprehensive retrofitting programme to all homes in their area.

Particularly for the rural districts in the partnership, this will act as an invaluable lever to encouraging green local economic growth.  By focusing on their local economies, these councils will be able deliver retrofitting at a cheaper cost for all private households seeking to improve energy efficiency.

The project

Stevenage is no stranger to the housing crisis being faced across many parts of the UK. The council has over 2,000 local families on the waiting list for affordable housing. Last year 382 households were placed into emergency accommodation, including 30 individuals presenting as rough sleeping or sofa surfing.

As part of Stevenage Borough Council’s commitment to providing high quality accommodation throughout the town, work was undertaken to deliver Oaks Cross – a highly sustainable, low cost, emergency housing scheme consisting of 11 purpose-built properties, constructed within the space of just six months. Oaks Cross is also being utilised as site for Stevenage’s Housing First work. Housing First tackles the most complex problems experienced by homeless residents, via a comprehensive package of wraparound services; vulnerable individuals are offered housing first, and then rigorous support to address the underlying causes of their vulnerability and homelessness. This service offer includes courses to improve the lives of vulnerable residents with some of the greatest need – providing counselling through to managing finances.

The council aims to grow the number of affordable properties managed by 500 before 2025. At present, delivery is on target with 387 finished and 288 further properties under construction.  Having adopted the Housing First approach to homelessness, the council has secured an additional £525,000 to fund its rough sleeper initiative for the next three years, from 2022-25. The council has worked in partnership alongside external agencies, providing a joined-up approach. Together it ensures all tenants receive a fantastic support package assisting them in establishing better foundations to start rebuilding their lives.

The wraparound network includes Spectrum: Change, Grow Live, Mind mental health network, Haven First and No More Service, and the council continue to grow the network.

Haven First is a local organisation that supports homeless people within Stevenage and North Hertfordshire.  It has been fundamental in providing extensive support services to those residents in Oaks Cross, including a wide range of courses from counselling to life skills.  Hill Construction has been key in the build of these innovative, modern homes and have worked closely with the council to deliver them on schedule and to a tight budget.  There are currently 11 installed in Oaks Cross.

The site at Oaks Cross was subject to a successful funding bid to Homes England and the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) as part of the Next Steps Accommodation Programme.

The benefits

The project benefits residents currently homeless, facing homelessness or in need of emergency housing.  134 individuals have lived in and benefitted from the support package. 57 people have been moved into permanent accommodation or supported living. The rough sleeper count within a year has reduced by 57% from 14 to eight.

The additional funding for the council’s Housing First approach is allowing it to develop further schemes focusing on the provision of intense support alongside a secure and stable home. So far, it has provided an additional 30 spaces to ensure some of the most vulnerable residents have an address and a secure home environment, throughout one of their most challenging life experiences.