Purpose

To consider approving:
1. three grant applications, of over £100,000, to the
COF;
2. delegation of authority to officers for future grant awards over
£100,000 and up to £500,000; and
3. pausing the award of further grants for at least twelve months
due to the success of the fund and to allow for the funding pot to
be replenished from future contributions.

Content

1.        
That the two Carbon Offset Fund (COF) grant
agreements being proposed towards projects for MK College
(£819,434.52) and Inspiring Futures through Learning
(IFtL) (£289,445), be approved.

2.         That the
use of the fund by Milton Keynes City Council for projects at Civic
(£108,000) and Milton
Keynes Linford Wood Place (£223,380), be
approved.

3.         That,
due to its success, the current fund be suspended for new external
applications until such further Section 106 payments are received
from developers. It is likely it will remain closed until late
2025/early 2026 for external applications.

4.         That
authority be delegated to the Director of Planning and Placemaking,
in liaison with the Director of Law and Governance and the Director
of Finance and Resources (s151), to finalise the arrangements
for:

(a)        releasing
future COF grant contributions up to a value of £500,000
where the conditions of any funding agreement including subsidy
control requirements are met; and

(b)       setting the periods
when the fund can be temporarily closed and re-opened for new
applications based upon the levels of funding received via the
planning applications and Section 106 agreements.

1.5       That up to 20% of
the funding be applied for project management of the fund. This
includes the allocation of Council officers in promoting the fund,
promoting and guiding bids, evaluating the bids, as well as
awarding and monitoring the delivery of the fund, and on this
basis, authority be delegated to the Director of Environment and
Property to apply the programme management fees based of officer
cost apportionments, which are agreed with Finance.

1.6       That authority be
delegated to the Director of Environment and Property to confirm
the grant proposals and funding amounts from the COF, under
paragraphs 1. and 2. above once the scheme details for Civic and
Linford Wood Place are confirmed and signed off.