60 Community Environmental Initiatives PDF 322 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The
Executive Member for Environment and Finance & Governance and the Director
of Environment and Community Services submitted a report for the Executive’s
consideration. The purpose of the report was to seek funding for ancillary equipment
and support to assist community and volunteer initiatives throughout
Middlesbrough.
Community
groups and volunteers provided important additional environmental support to
the Council’s services and were increasingly valued. Their work was integral to
keeping Middlesbrough’s environment to a good standard and further encouraging
community participation. That was especially important as Middlesbrough moved
forward on its green agenda, striving to reach carbon neutrality and increase
the level of biodiversity in the Town.
Providing
a supportive approach was leading to growing numbers of volunteers, who were
now networking with each other, leading to far reaching linked projects across
the town. As well as promoting the groups projects/initiatives via social
media, the Council could offer resource assistance by way of purchasing and
holding a stock of consumable supplies. That would enable those groups to
readily access tools, equipment and technical support to deliver initiatives,
which were of benefit to the environment, improving aesthetics and the
well-being of residents.
Key
milestones to enable a measurement of performance against the intended
outcomes, included:
·
developing
a communications and marketing plan;
·
developing
an education plan to raise awareness of responsible waste management and
recycling;
·
developing
a plan to work with community groups and volunteers; and
·
providing continual support and provision of
equipment as required.
OPTIONS
To not supply
equipment, advice and support to community and volunteer groups was not an
option. It would have impacted on the Council’s green agenda and groups would
lose heart and faith in the Local Authority and eventually lose interest in
improving Middlesbrough.
ORDERED
That £150,000 revenue
(£50,000 per annum over three years) be approved to support community
involvement in wide reaching environmental Initiatives, to improve local
environmental standards across their communities and across Middlesbrough.
REASON
The proposed changes
planned to support the Council’s commitment to working with its communities and
partners to ensure that ideas and resources were shared to achieve joint goals.
It would also assist in meeting the Council’s aims detailed in its 2020-2023
Strategic Plan:
·
working with
communities and other public services to improve the lives of our residents;
·
working with
communities to improve local health and wellbeing, focusing in particular on
tackling obesity, poor mental health and substance misuse; and
·
working with local communities to redevelop Middlesbrough’s
disadvantaged estates, and introduce locality working with our partners,
placing services at the heart of communities.