£50,000 fund to boost community climate action in the Vale
Communities in the Vale of White Horse looking to tackle climate change could soon receive support from a new council grant.
Vale of White Horse District Council’s new Climate Action Fund will offer a total of £50,000 to help local groups, with up to £5,000 on offer for individual projects.
All parish councils and local groups will be able to apply to the fund, which opens for applications on 14 March. In addition to hearing from established groups, the council is looking to encourage action at a grass roots level and so is particularly keen to support those who are only just beginning to address the climate emergency.
The funding is aimed at projects that help to address climate change and increase people’s awareness and knowledge of the climate emergency. The work could focus on areas such as the natural environment, energy, waste and consumption, or transport and travel.
Organisations that receive funding will also be invited to join a network to share experiences, highlight the success of schemes that have received funding and potentially collaborate on future projects.
Cllr Catherine Webber, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Environment, at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “If you are involved in a local group please start to think about climate action projects that could benefit from this funding. You don’t have to be a climate expert or established group to apply, we are just as keen to hear from people who are starting to think about climate change and are at the beginning of their journey to take action to address the climate emergency.
“It’s vital that everyone plays their part in tackling the climate emergency and I’m really looking forward to seeing what projects come forward once applications open on 14 March.”
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Cabinet Member Community Engagement, said: “There’s already some great work happening in our towns and villages to help tackle the climate emergency, but we need all our communities to play their part and I know many of our residents want to do more. This funding will help to create real opportunities for everyone to get involved in climate action at a local level across the Vale.”
For more information about the Climate Action Fund please see whitehorsedc.gov.uk/grants
Notes for editors
The Climate Action Fund is part of the Vale’s new 2022-2024 Climate Action Plan which has now been adopted by the council. The plan outlines the steps the Vale will take to become a carbon neutral council by 2030, alongside how it will support local efforts to reduce emissions.
For more information, please visit the Vale’s Climate Action pages.
To achieve carbon neutrality, the carbon produced from council buildings and services will need to be balanced by the amount of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere.
