SWM News July 2018 - Can policy translate into action?

This month has seen numerous publications including the Government’s Road to Zero Strategy focused on measures to lead in zero emission vehicles, the National Infrastructure Assessment setting a vision for sustainable economic infrastructure for the UK and a plan to achieve it and National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios.

Also published is the new National Adaptation Programme (NAP), version two, setting out key actions that Government and others need to take to adapt to the challenges of climate change in the next five years and detailing how Government will manage the third cycle of adaptation reporting.

The fact that we have a NAP is clearly a positive thing and we welcome the publication of this new version. The UK is showing that it understands the climate risks we face, as reflected by last year’s UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, and moreover that we have a good idea of what the government needs to do to tackle the problems of flooding, overheating, storms and other extremes of weather in various different sectors, such as the natural environment, infrastructure, local government, communities and business.

But is recognition enough anymore? Every year hundreds of people are badly affected by extreme weather and for now we watch closely lest this respite from the relentless dry and hot weather is only temporary. We should all have a duty to protect and support our population with this problem – but our plea is to give us some resources to fulfil it.

Read ‘Our Comment’ for our full perspective of the latest NAP.

Alan Carr, Sustainability Adviser, on behalf of Sustainability West Midlands

• By 3 August. Register your interest for the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund: Phase 7. £10m is available. Deadline to apply is 14 September but register by 3 August!
• By 20 August. The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is encouraging the development of sustainable, low carbon business activity by offering their support.
• By 29 August. Innovate UK and OLEV are offering a share of £20m to fund the design, development and deployment of wireless electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• By 31 August. £9.2m in co-funding is available from the Carbon Trust. It is open to all manufacturing sectors and targeting innovative projects for demonstration.
• By 19 September. Innovate UK will invest up to £12.5m in innovative projects to transform UK construction, improving productivity, quality and performance.
• By 19 September. Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles is to invest up to £25m in industry-led projects that develop and pilot CAV services at scale in the UK.
• By 30 September. Anthesis Energy UK has a pot of funding for the replacement of communal or district heating systems that is attached to housing.
• By March 2019. SMEs can obtain free energy audits and 40% grant funding towards energy efficiency measures in Greater Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.
• By May 2019. SMEs can benefit from the Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) to help develop products, processes or services.
• On-going. The Community and Environment Fund is to provide benefits to communities along the route disrupted by the construction of HS2.

Over the past year we have promoted >£600 million of accessible funding.

• Cenex hosts their annual Low Carbon Vehicles seminar between 12 and 13 September where over 90 speakers are expected.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme team invites you to join them in a beginner’s course using Autodesk Revit software on 12 and 13 September.
• University of Warwick invites you to join its local authority Sustainable Energy conference on 14 September.
• Aston University, as part of the Low Carbon SMEs programme, is hosting a workshop on 14 September to help SMEs become more resource efficient.
• SWM, with the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, is running the next Innovative Low Carbon Working Group meeting at members EBRI on 18 September.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme is running an introduction to Navisworks event which will take place on 18 and 19 September.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme wants to help you create a workplace that reduces costs and improves efficiency at an event on 19 September.
• Warwick Manufacturing Group is hosting an event on 20 September that will focus on Energy Storage Technology and the work being undertaken by WMG and JLR.
• The Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands is supporting this year’s Venturefest, a fantastic opportunity for SMEs to pitch their innovative ideas, on 27 September.
• Climate Change Solutions is hosting their ‘Making Places Last’ event on 7 November, focusing on low carbon, sustainable housing.

A full list of our members is on our website.

• SWM welcomes Tom Hendy, our new Sustainability Adviser.
• SWM welcomes new members, the Centre for Research into Environmental Science & Technology (CREST) and Coventry University.
• Staffordshire County Council, with partners, has been delivering a series of workshops about flood risk in schools. We’ve written a case study about it.
• Cenex is looking to fill the role of ‘Assistant Technical Specialist’ who will support on the development of their low emission vehicles projects; deadline is 10 August.
• Green Shropshire Xchange is hosting a public consultation to gain wider views on the draft electric vehicle charging strategy; deadline is 17 September.
• Midlands Environmental Business Company has opened applications for its Business Awards 2018 for Innovation and Sustainability. Apply before 30 September.
• The WMCA has been shaping the proposal (see here, item 9) to strengthen the Environment Board, reviewing progress and is developing a Low Emissions Strategy.
• The WMCA has launched ‘Thrive at Work’, a commitment aiming to create a workplace that promotes employee health and wellbeing; you can sign up!
• Energy Systems Catapult recently published its report ‘Preparing UK Electricity Networks for Electric Vehicles’, in which they provide some key recommendations.
• Energy Systems Catapult is looking at how local area planning can be used to identify the right technologies to enable a cost-effective low carbon transition.
• The Environment Agency has been teaming up with leading UK brands to tackle the Great British #PlasticsChallenge; you can get involved too.
• The Environment Agency has concluded that water companies need to do more to protect the environment. Read their report to see the issues discussed.
• The Committee on Climate Change has delivered four key messages to Government to reduce UK emissions, based on the lessons learnt from the last decade.
• The University of Birmingham will receive a Green Flag award as Edgbaston campus has been recognised as one of the UK’s best green spaces!
• The University of Wolverhampton based Brownfield Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) is open, offering a range of services to SMEs in the Black Country.
• Systra has released their report on ‘Automated and Autonomous Public Transport’, taking a look at the future of public transport in the UK.
• Warwick Manufacturing Group is bringing EV Charging Points to the market in the form of lamp-posts, some are already in place around the University campus.
• SWM has been supporting LEPs with stakeholder engagement to help develop their energy strategies. The latest workshops we ran were for Worcestershire LEP.
• SWM, in partnership with our members Fit for the Future Network, ran an event on biodiversity and climate change on 12 July.
• SWM has produced a case study reflecting our work with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College – we were brought in to reinvigorate their sustainability work!
• SWM will be supporting the Heritage Lottery Fund with its sustainability agenda over the next few months. Get in touch to find out what support we can provide to you!
• SWM recently published our new report assessing how the combined authorities are performing against a series of sustainability metrics.

SWM members can send their events, research or other contributions to enquiries@swm.org.uk to be included in the next newsletter. Not a member? There are many advantages to SWM membership; find out more here.

• Nottingham County Council is looking to fill eight senior energy officer positions, one for each Midlands LEP, by 12 August.
• Birmingham City Council wants to hear how introducing a Clean Air Zone will affect you and your business. A consultation is open until 17 August.
• The National Infrastructure Commission has published the National Infrastructure Assessment in which they provide core proposals for the future of the UK.
• European Agency for SMEs aims to deliver all the information needed to complete an application for the 2019 project proposals under Horizon 2020 Challenge 5.
• National Grid has published its Future Energy Scenarios, a report that looks to identify a range of credible scenarios for the next thirty years and beyond.
• Climate-KIC is searching for entrepreneurs to pitch their ‘cleantech’ start-up to an expert jury. Promising entrepreneurs can then join their Accelerator Programme.
• Open Forum Events is hosting ‘Public Health: The Unusual Suspects’ on 24 October. An interesting look into less conventional health issues and their solutions.
• The UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development has recently published a report on the UK’s performance in meeting United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• The Government has confirmed its ambition to see at least half of new cars to be ultra-low emissions by 2030, as seen in their Road to Zero report.
• The Government has further announced that Local Authorities can set energy standards beyond that of part L in its revised National Planning Policy Framework.
• The Government has also published the second version of the National Adaptation Programme.

We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, are interested in becoming a member or have news stories, events, case studies and reports, please visit our website or contact us.