Decision details

At its meeting of 18th January 2023, Council approved the use of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) monies to fund projects in pursuit of delivery of the council’s Climate Change Strategy 2022-2026. At the same meeting, Council delegated decision-making on UKSPF-funded climate change projects to the Head of Housing and Health acting in consultation with the Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability.

Two contracts, both subject to competitive procurement will contribute directly to the delivery of the council’s Climate Change Strategy, notably by (a) providing professional services to deliver domestic decarbonisation plans and manage resultant works and (b) enabling the decarbonisation benefit of encouraging a switch from fossil-fuelled to electric vehicles. The contracts will contribution to achievement of the UKSPF outputs and outcomes on which the council is required to report to government.

To fund two projects that will assist the council in producing decarbonisation plans and reduce greenhouse gases in line with the nationally identified outputs and outcomes of the UKSPF programme. The contracts are as follows:
• £10,000 – the National Energy Foundation (NEF) for a professional service to provide residential decarbonisation plans and manage resultant domestic retrofit works
• £9,100 – Jigsaw Power Ltd for the provision of consultancy advice and assistance in the decarbonisation planning for and procurement of a provider to install, manage and maintain a network of electric vehicle chargers in the council’s car parks.

Option 1 - Not commission both or either of the contracts. NOT RECOMMENDED because the council does not have the internal expertise or capacity to deliver these two valuable contributions to the fulfilment of the Climate Change Strategy 2022-26. Not funding these two projects could jeopardise delivery of the council’s aspirations for decarbonisation of activities in the district – through, in this case, domestic decarbonisation and encouraging the switch from fossil-fuelled to electric vehicles – to which members have determined the UKSPF monies should be directed.

Option 2 - Commission both project for the reasons accompanying this decision,