Climate emergency funding

What we want to achieve

The development of a robust financial strategy that will support our transition to a net zero carbon future.

How we will do this

We have set out a range of actions for how Medway can respond to the climate emergency. These range from actions that the council will take to lead by example, to those that will support the community to act.

 

money bag iconSeek funding opportunities which will support emissions reductions across Medway and deliver actions in the Climate Change Action Plan.

crowd next to money iconEvaluate options for a permanent crowdfunding space to support projects in the action plan.

piggy bank iconEvaluate options for a carbon offset fund.

group of people talking iconExplore joint working with Kent HR network to influence investment of funds in the pension scheme.

Our progress so far

We have succesfully raised funds for climate action through grants including:

2023 to 2024

  • £744,379 of Swimming Pool Support Fund from Sport England for the install of Solar PV and replacement of gas boilers at Hoo Sports Centre
  • £68,000 of LEVI Capability Funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles to support delivery of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure
  • £486,418 of Active Travel Funding (ATF4) from Active Travel England to deliver a School Streets programme
  • £768,780 of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP+) Funding from Department for Transport to support Medway’s Free Bus Weekend and new evening and Sunday frequency uplifts from January 2024.

2022 to 2023

  • £65,000 from the Local Government Association via a consortium to support a behavioural insight project to encourage homeowners to adopt no-cost behaviours to reduce their energy consumption, fuel bills and greenhouse gas emissions
  • £76,000 awarded from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for a techno-economic feasibility study for a heat network in Medway
  • £115,668 from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) for trees to be planted, across the 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 planting seasons, as replacements for trees lost on the highway
  • £5,000 funding bid from Rochester Riverside to Medway Adult Education (MAE)’s Dementia Friendly Gardening Club and The Rotary to create an urban community gardening space at the front of the Rochester Community Hub as well as 2 potential locations on the high street
  • £279,533 from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the Air Quality Grant Programme to deliver real time traffic monitoring and data modelling to develop traffic management interventions that will reduce air pollution
  • Over £1,000,000 from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve energy ratings in council housing stock
  • £85,000 from the Levelling Up Parks Fund to deliver improvements including tree planting at Luton Millennium Green
  • £166,440 from the BEIS Heat Network Delivery Unit for a detailed study for a River Source Heat Network in Medway.

Other successes

  • From April 2021 to March 2022, £500,000 of funding was received due to 6 successful bids to support climate change projects in Medway.
  • Medway Tree Fund launched at the end of 2020. Anyone living, visiting, or working in Medway can donate towards the next generation of trees in Medway. The first tree paid for by the Medway Tree Fund was planted in 2021. Make a donation to the Medway Tree Fund online.

Read all the actions

To read all the actions in our plan:

Combat climate change

Only together can we combat climate change. Find out what you can do to take action.

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