Combating climate change in East Ayrshire - the next steps

A key aim of the Council’s Clean Green East Ayrshire Climate Change Strategy is to support the creation of net zero communities, encouraging young people and community organisations to drive the behaviour changes needed to cut carbon emissions across our homes, schools and businesses.

With a £1m Climate Change Fund, set up in February 2022 to support the Council’s Climate Change Strategy, £100k was allocated to a Clean Green Schools Fund and a further £100k to a Community Climate Change Fund. 

This week’s cabinet report reviewed these funds and approved two schemes for using the money in the most efficient way to effect maximum change.

Taking into account experience, surveys and feedback from the first year of operation it was decided that the best possible use of the Community and Schools Climate Change Funds will be to help leverage in significant levels of funding from other sources to maximise carbon emission reduction and behaviour change.

The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) Is a fund which provides grants of up to 80% of eligible costs (up to a maximum of  £80k) to help community organisations to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs in the buildings they use . This is done through the installation of renewable technologies such as heat pumps, batteries and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.   

While this fund has proven very useful, the East Ayrshire review found many local organisations could not proceed with these measures because of the costs involved in raising 20% of the price of the work.

The Climate Change Member Officer Working Group which carried out the review suggested a new package of measures to give these organisations additional support to allow them to take advantage of the scheme. Cabinet approved their requests to use the £100k Community Climate Change Fund 

• To offer financial support of up to £2,500 to Community and Voluntary Organisations eligible for CARES funding to assist them with the cost of obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate to establish the recommended measures to decarbonise their premises
• To give support to these organisations from Council Officers to obtain quotes and progress with a CARES application.
• To use the £100,000 Community Climate Change fund to supplement CARES funding by offering a further 5% (Up to a maximum of £5,000) towards the cost of decarbonisation.
• That Community Wealth Building Grants should be used to further supplement CARES by offering a further 5% (Up to a maximum of £5,000) towards the cost of decarbonisation.
• To note that this package of Scottish Government and Council financial support would bring the total funding available to 90%, (up to a maximum of 90k), leaving our community groups with only 10% of the costs to find themselves.

In schools, the review found that investment in teaching resources and other professional support has been very effective in supporting the behaviour change needed to achieve net zero targets.

Cabinet approved a request to use some of the Clean Green Schools Fund to employ a full time Principal teacher to develop sustainable education across all East Ayrshire schools.

This teacher will link with national officers around Scotland, working with Zero Waste Scotland and other organisations to determine and deliver best practice through training for both staff and pupils.

They will also review the East Ayrshire Curriculum content to make sure it fits with net zero ambitions and the local context and develop parent/carer workshops to promote behaviour change in the wider community.

Working with Developing Young Workforce they will also support positive work destinations with greener careers.

Welcoming the approval of the report Cllr Graham Barton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Net Zero, Environment, Climate Change and Equalities and Inclusion said: “When we set out on our Clean Green East Ayrshire Climate Change journey in 2022 we’d already been working with schools and the community to bring in “greener measures”.

“With the launch of our strategy we also made a pledge that we’d constantly review and assess where we are now, what has happened, what has worked and what hasn’t, and build on that. 

“This week’s report is the result of that constant re-evaluation – we’ve identified areas where we can usefully commit funds to bring about positive outcomes as the whole process of reaching our net zero goals evolves. 

Together with our programmes of refurbishment for social housing, our ECO4Flex scheme for householders, and now, giving extra help for community and faith groups to de-carbonise their buildings with the CARES scheme, we’re helping address the issues and inequalities which make it harder for people and groups with low incomes to reduce emissions

“We know that this work can make a huge difference to quality and cost of living, cut pollution and enhance the environment and working together with our young people and communities we’re doing what we can to make sure everyone has an opportunity to make the changes we all need.”

Businesses can also get help to decarbonise through the East Ayrshire Net Zero business grant scheme. General information about grant aid and advice to reduce emissions is also available from the Home Energy Scotland website and Energy Trust Scotland

Read more:

• visit Clean Green East Ayrshire Climate Change webpages
• read the full cabinet report
• visit Eco4Flex
• Visit CARES
• Visit Home Energy Scotland
• Visit Energy Trust Scotland

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