Purpose

To seek approval for a model, agreed with City
Leap, on how the council will allocate capital and revenue to
decarbonise the estates

Content

The Committee RESOLVED to:
 
1. Authorise the allocation and spend of up to
£4,000,000 from the 25/26 Decarbonisation Fund and up to
£1,000,000 from the 26/27 Decarbonisation Fund on the
programme for decarbonising the council’s Corporate Estate as
detailed in this report.
 
2. Authorise the Executive Director, Growth
and Regeneration, in consultation with the Chair of the Environment
and Sustainability Committee and the Director of Finance, to submit
a bid for up to £1,500,000 (with match funding of up to
£3,100,000 from the Decarbonisation Fund as set out in the
report) to the next phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation
Scheme (or equivalent– expected Autumn 2025), and, in the
event that the bid is successful, to accept and spend any
successful award.
 
3. Authorise the Executive Director, Growth
and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Environment
and Sustainability Committee and the Director of Finance, to
approve a further draw down against the BCC Decarbonisation Fund of
up to £1,400,000 for energy efficiency measures for Phase 3
of the Corporate Estate Decarbonisation programme, acknowledging
that if alternative funding routes become available these will be
used instead.
 
4. Authorise the Executive Director, Growth
and Regeneration, in consultation with Director of Finance to
submit applications to future grant funding opportunities related
to decarbonisation measures which may arise during 2025, 2026 or
2027, provided that such grant funding opportunities either; (i)
require no match funding or; (ii) match funding can be met through
unallocated funds within the 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26 or 2026/27
Decarbonisation Fund and provided that if any such bid above the
value of £500,000 is successful the acceptance and spend of
such bid is brought back to the Environment and Sustainability
Committee.
 
5. Note that the decarbonisation of Canford
Crematorium will be prioritised as a recipient of surplus BCC
Decarbonisation Fund, where other schemes outlined in the report
release contingency or budget.
 
6. Note the proposed approach to adopt a
proactive and data led approach to avoid new fossil fuel linked
asset installations as outlined in this report.
 
7. Note the proposed development of a Pilot
scheme with BCL to test the Energy-as-a-Service funding model,
across 3 sites within the Corporate Estate, noting that any
financial commitment to the delivery of decarbonisation projects
via this model which require spend in excess of £500,000 will
be subject to further scrutiny and approval by the committee.
 
8. Authorise the Executive Director, Growth
and Regeneration, in consultation with the Chair of the Environment
and Sustainability Committee, and the Director of Finance to
procure, agree and enter into any contracts required in connection
with the matters outlined in the above recommendations.