Delivered through a collaboration between the
Local Government Association (LGA) and Sustainability West Midlands, the
Regional Retrofit Action Plan Training brings together council officers to address retrofit challenges at the local and partnership level. The training seeks to support the development of councils’ regional work by exploring how to effectively utilise and support key partners and stakeholders both nationally and regionally, focusing on three key themes: training providers, communities, and the private sector.
Each theme will review current best practice happening across the country, the support currently available, what needs to be developed regionally to support the sector and how effective engagement with partners and stakeholders can play a key role in enabling this to happen. Technical briefings and follow up 1:1 sessions will support councils to build internal and partnership capacity. The training will also include smaller group work aimed at supporting the development of regional retrofit action plans that recognise the skills, facilities, and employment pipelines required to help the sector to grow at pace.
To enable this to happen, the programme will analyse theories on partnership building, compare different examples of best practice currently in use and evaluate the current partnerships that attendees have in place. This will enable the development of clear and achievable action plans, that maximise partnerships to support sector development. It has the overarching aim of supporting councils to ensure all key partners and stakeholders are working together to develop the skills, knowledge and capital needed to effectively support the growth of the retrofit sector, as and when opportunities become available.
The Regional Retrofit Action Plan Training is now
open for applications from councils. Apply now and learn how partnership and co-production between your council, training providers, community groups and the private sector, can support the development and delivery of the retrofit employment and skills pipelines required in your region.
If you have any questions, please
check out the FAQs, and if you cannot find the answer, please email
climate@local.gov.uk.
Deadline for applications: 5pm, 9 September 2022.
Click here to sign up for Retrofit Action Plan Training.
About the LGA’s Local Retrofit Action Planning Training
The LGA will bring together retrofit leads and officers new to retrofit planning and delivery from across local government, to deliver a package of training, resources, and guidance, to support the development of localised action plans. The training will support the development of council’s regional work by exploring how to effectively utilise and support key partners and stakeholders both nationally and regionally, focusing on three key themes: training providers, communities, and the private sector.
The programme will:
- develop officers’ understanding of the processes, tools, and structures that they could put in place to effectively establish and maintain internal and external partnerships and stakeholder relationships
- identify the value and opportunities in working with training providers and the private sector to develop retrofit planning and provision
- analyse and compare best practice of councils working effectively with training providers to maximise sector specific opportunities
- recognise the retrofit outputs that the private sector could support councils with, during their retrofit planning and delivery phases
- analyse and compare best practice, where councils have worked effectively with the private sector to maximise sector specific employment opportunities
- identify the value and opportunities in working with community groups to develop retrofit planning and provision
- recognise the retrofit outputs that community groups could support councils with, during their retrofit planning and delivery phases with a specific focus on the ready to pay market and behaviour change
- analyse and compare best practice, of councils working effectively with community groups to maximise sector specific opportunities
- use the training to develop an action plan to support future work on retrofit.
Application criteria
- The project is aimed at council officers working on, leading on retrofit, or considering next steps in building a retrofit team from all levels of local government. Applications from groups of councils are welcome, either by geography or common characteristics.
To apply for the Local Retrofit Action Planning Training, you must:
- work within an English council
- work in a position where supporting the development of the retrofit sector is one of your core roles
- have the capacity to undertake the training, which will include a commitment to a series of online workshops, 1:1 support and project delivery (see timeline for details), as well as participating in the wider network
- be willing to share your learning and experiences from the programme with other councils across the country.
What will the cohort of successful councils be expected to deliver or participate in?
- contribute positively to all the partnership workshops
- share their learning from the programme, within their own council and with other councils as required
- contribute towards or develop:
- a blog
- a podcast
- a report
- a video
- take part in a recorded webinar on December 6 2022, that will showcase the project and the outcomes
- provide a detailed case study of their project development and experience working on the programme.
You should apply for the programme if:
- you need space and time to reflect on the elements of your role that focus on retrofit
- you are looking to build key partnerships in the retrofit sector, at both a regional and national level, internally and externally
- you would like to develop an action plan to support your long-term strategy for the sector
- you want to develop new working relationships outside of your organisation
- you would like to hear from industry experts on the latest trends in the sector
- you want to find out about the best practice taking place around the country, evaluated, and explained by industry experts
- you would like dedicated time to work on retrofit planning.
Timeline and milestones
Officers are expected to attend all the sessions outlined below. Please save the dates in your diary in anticipation.
| Date |
Milestone |
| September 28 2022 |
Developing and maintaining effective partnership and stakeholder relationships. |
| October 5 2022 |
Working with training providers to maximise retrofit opportunities. |
| October 31 2022 |
Working with the private sector to maximise retrofit opportunities. |
| November 9 2022 |
Working with community groups to support their understanding of retrofit opportunities. |
| November 23 2022 |
Action planning and next steps. |
| December 6 2022 |
Review webinar. |
Case studies
Below you will find case studies from the
Building Housing Retrofit Skills Leadership and Learning Programme and the
Pass the Planet campaign, which will give you a flavour of the work that the LGA has covered so far in retrofit.
- Building Housing Retrofit Skills Leadership and Learning
- Over six months in 2021 and 2022, 24 officers and councillors from local authorities across England were invited to explore, unpick, and address the challenges of retrofitting domestic properties. The focus was on developing the skills required inside and outside the councils to manage and implement retrofit programmes, including co-ordinating internal and external stakeholders, generating demand from householders, and upskilling suppliers.
LGA Building Housing Retrofit Skills Leadership And Learning Programme, March 2022
Pass the Planet
Moving on from COP26, the LGA will continue to demonstrate the importance of local leadership to delivering the UK’s net zero ambitions, and to share the leading work of councils.
