£1m Carbon neutral fund set up in Calderdale to tackle climate change

Cash for the Carbon Neutral Fund is in the current year’s budget and Cabinet agreed to spend the money.

Funds will be split 50-50 between council and community projects, with the Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC) becoming a partner in the latter, which may be able to get match-funding, increasing the amount of money available in the community pot.

Cabinet member for Climate Change and Resilience, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), said discussing the item was timely, on the first anniversary of flooding damage caused by Storm Ciara a year ago.

“It highlights the fact we are living the climate emergency, need to tackle it – and do so quickly.

“What is really important is changes made at local level,” he said.

Working with the foundation would widen what people could bid for and it was already looking at match-funding.

Cabinet needed to agree to establish the fund, said Coun Patient, which he hoped would be the first of many.

Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, said the amount would have been an easy budget saving but that would have been the wrong thing to do.

“We need to be pushing this work forward,” she said.

Coun Regan Dickenson (Con, Rastrick) asked Cabinet for assurances the council would get best value for its investment, as the LED street lighting project had achieved.

Coun Patient said the scheme would be scrutinised all the time so it could be demonstrated projects could at least “wash their own face” financially while providing environmental benefits, and hopefully more.

Coun James Baker (Lib Dem, Warley) wanted to see all parts of Calderdale benefit from the fund, not just the borough’s affluent areas, and Coun Patient said partners had to make sure money was given equitably.

Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre (Lab, Todmorden), said criteria would be set out for applications.

The council has set a target for itself and the borough of having net zero emissions by 2038.