County council approves £1million climate change fund

The creation of a new £1million community fund to help address the climate change emergency has been agreed by Warwickshire County Council.

As part of the 2020/21 budget the council has approved the fund which will see money go to local schemes that will have an impact on carbon emissions.

The Climate Change Community Investment Fund, will allow the Council to formally invest in initiatives proposed by community organisations to enhance local climate change agendas.

Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio holder for Environment and Heritage & Culture, said: “The Climate Change Community Investment Fund is an important step forward in our response to the Climate Change Emergency that this Council declared in 2019

“There is already lots of fantastic work going on within Warwickshire County Council and our communities across the County to help reduce carbon footprints and minimise the effects we all have on our fast-changing climate.

“There can be few better demonstrations of our commitment to address this emergency than the sizeable sum of money made available to our communities as part of this grant scheme. As soon as the scheme launches, I hope to see as many community groups as possible applying for funding to make Warwickshire the best it can be, sustainable now and for the future.”

Any community group or voluntary organisation will be able to apply for money from the scheme, provided they progress the council’s climate change objectives, set out in its 2025 Council Plan. The scheme will run alongside Community and Councillor Grant Schemes and share a similar application process.

More details on the exact application channels and a full list of criteria for applications will be made available as part of the Fund’s promotion over the coming months.

For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: www.Warwickshire.gov.uk/theclimateemergency