Purpose

The Council’s Environment and Sustainability Strategy sets a clear goal to improve sustainability and make the city safer and more resilient for current and future generations. This long-term commitment shows the Council’s determination to protect and enhance the local environment.
At the same time, the 2020–2030 Economic Strategy highlights the need to grow opportunities linked to circular communities. The updated Borough Strategy also identifies the Great Doncaster LESStival as an important initiative that will help deliver these priorities.
Climate education, engagement and behaviour change are central to delivering this ambition and are embedded within the Council’s Great 8 priorities, and the Environment and Sustainability Strategy, recognising that collective action and community leadership are essential to driving meaningful change

Decision

To approve the use of £20k of the Environmental Sustainability Earmarked Reserve to fund the Environmental Sustainability action micro-grant scheme for communities

Alternative options considered

Do nothing:
The Environmental Sustainability team has developed crucial relationships and built trust with many community champions across Doncaster who empower and enable self-sufficiency, connectedness, and resilience amongst residents through LESStival activities. These activities are growing exponentially and have created collaborations between groups that have designed spill-over projects including nature protection and restoration activities.
To do nothing would break this existing network, limit its growth with new members, and jeopardise the growing environmental and sustainability action momentum that is growing across all localities in Doncaster. This momentum is necessary to achieve the objectives of the Council’s Environment & Sustainability strategy.
In addition, the Great Doncaster LESStival has been championed by Minister Mary Creagh and appears as an exemplar case study in the Circular Economy Guidance for Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Alongside this, Doncaster has been chosen as a Circular Economy Pathfinder project which has funded research and consultancy to further develop the project and inform national circular growth policy. Doncaster are therefore, at the forefront of shaping circular economy frameworks nationally, putting them in a privileged position that opens up wider funding opportunities and inward investment.