Question reference: S6W-01903
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 28 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support will be available for communities, that are not community climate action hubs, to continue to tackle the climate emergency, and how the Net Zero Nation initiatives will support communities in (a) practical and (b) financial terms.
Answer
We continue to support community-led climate action in a variety of ways. We have committed £3.4 million in 2021-22 to 46 ongoing CCF (Climate Challenge Fund) projects. The developing network of climate action hubs will empower communities to identify the actions that are most appropriate to their needs, and the Climate Action Towns initiative focuses on small towns with little historical engagement on climate action.
Communities can receive advice and funding through a number of Scottish Government initiatives such as:
- Our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) provides free advice and funding, with up to £5.25 million available this financial year, to support community groups develop renewable energy projects, or their engagement in wider local energy projects.
- Spend on active travel increased to £115.5 million in 2021-22 to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys .
- The Energy Savings Trust deliver a number of initiatives on our behalf that help community transport groups switch to the use of low-carbon vehicles. Details of schemes are as follows:
- Plugged-in Communities (PiC) programme : This programme aims to provide access to electric vehicles and the associated infrastructure to low-income communities in the form of shared-use electric vehicle car clubs and is available to housing associations as well as third sector organisations. Applicants are also encouraged to apply for funding through the ChargePlace Scotland programme which is also administered by Energy Savings Trust to cover the cost of charge point installation as part of their application.
- The E-bike Grant Fund : This programme supports local authorities, public sector agencies, education institutions, active travel hubs and community groups to adopt e-bikes and cargo bikes as more sustainable alternatives to car journeys through providing grants of up to £200,000.
Our new website – netzeronation.scot – launched as part of our Let’s Do Net Zero campaign, aims to help the public understand how they can play their part in tackling the global climate emergency, provide resources for community action, and become an online hub for Scotland's collective response to the climate emergency. The website also signposts to further practical and financial support available to communities.
In addition, Scotland’s Climate Week (13-19 September) will be an opportunity for organisations to join the climate conversation ahead of COP26 in November, and tools will be available to support this on the website in the coming weeks.
Supporting communities to be climate ready is a key part of our just transition to net zero and we continue to review options for future support.