Decision

Salford City Council - Record of Decision (Cabinet)

I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby approve:

• The development and submission of an application for Nature Towns and Cities Foundation Accreditation to enable Salford to achieve recognised Nature City status.

• The review and refresh of the council's Greenspace Strategy to ensure it reflects current evidence, corporate priorities and the requirements of the Nature Towns and Cities accreditation framework.

• The programme of stakeholder and public consultation required to inform the refreshed Greenspace Strategy and accreditation submission.

The Reasons are:

The council has secured almost £1 million of external funding through the Nature Towns and Cities (NTC) programme, delivered in partnership with Manchester City Council, to strengthen strategic planning for green and blue infrastructure, improve access to nature, increase community involvement and develop a pipeline of investable projects. Achieving Nature City accreditation is one of the agreed outputs of the funded programme and demonstrates the council's commitment to delivering healthier, greener and more climate-resilient neighbourhoods.

The revised strategy will provide an updated evidence base, strengthen cross-directorate working, support future investment opportunities and ensure the council continues to meet its ambitions for biodiversity, climate resilience and reducing health inequalities. Failure to deliver the accreditation could affect delivery of the approved grant outputs and may expose the council to financial and reputational risk

Options considered and rejected were:

The council has considered the following options.

Option 1 – Proceed with Nature Towns and Cities Accreditation and refresh the Greenspace Strategy (Preferred)

This option delivers the approved outputs of the Nature Towns and Cities grant, updates the council's strategic approach to green and blue infrastructure and provides an opportunity to strengthen partnership working, community engagement and future investment readiness.

Benefits include:

• delivery of grant commitments;
• improved strategic planning;
• stronger evidence base;
• enhanced investment readiness;
• improved partnership working;
• updated corporate policy;
• greater alignment with climate, biodiversity and health priorities.

Risks are considered manageable through the governance arrangements established for the programme.

Option 2 – Refresh the Greenspace Strategy without seeking accreditation

This option would update the council's strategic framework but would fail to deliver one of the approved outputs within the Nature Towns and Cities funding agreement.

While some strategic benefits would still be achieved, opportunities associated with independent accreditation, national recognition and investment confidence would be reduced.

This option also increases the risk of challenge from the funding body regarding delivery of approved programme outputs.

Option 3 – Maintain the existing Greenspace Strategy and do not proceed with accreditation

This option would require no additional programme activity beyond existing commitments.

However, it would:

• fail to deliver one of the agreed grant outputs;
• leave the council operating under an increasingly outdated strategy;
• reduce opportunities to secure future external investment;
• weaken strategic alignment with current environmental policy;
• increase financial and reputational risk.

This option is not recommended.

a)    Preferred option and rationale

Option 1 is the preferred option.

It delivers the commitments contained within the approved Nature Towns and Cities funding agreement while strengthening the council's long-term strategic approach to green and blue infrastructure.

The proposal provides an opportunity to refresh the Greenspace Strategy using current evidence, strengthen partnership working, improve community participation and position the council to attract additional investment for environmental improvements.

The proposal also supports delivery of wider corporate priorities relating to climate resilience, biodiversity recovery, health inequalities, regeneration and neighbourhood improvement.

The benefits of proceeding significantly outweigh the manageable risks identified within this report.

Assessment of Risk:

The principal risks associated with this proposal are summarised below.

Risk

Impact

Mitigation

Risk Before Mitigation

Residual Risk

Failure to deliver Nature Towns and Cities Foundation Accreditation

Potential breach of grant funding agreement, reputational damage and possible grant recovery

Dedicated programme team, governance arrangements, regular monitoring and support from programme partners

High

Low

Delay in refreshing the Greenspace Strategy

Reduced strategic alignment and delayed accreditation submission

Agreed programme timetable, cross-directorate project management and senior officer oversight

Medium

Low

Insufficient stakeholder engagement

Strategy does not adequately reflect community priorities or partnership opportunities

Comprehensive consultation programme targeting residents, partners and under-represented communities

Medium

Low

Failure to secure corporate ownership across directorates

Reduced effectiveness of implementation and delivery

Cross-directorate steering group and governance arrangements established through the programme

Medium

Low

Failure to secure future external investment

Reduced ability to deliver future green infrastructure projects

Develop robust project pipeline, strengthen evidence base and achieve independent accreditation

Medium

Low

The residual risks associated with the preferred option are considered proportionate to the anticipated environmental, social and economic benefits. Appropriate governance arrangements are in place to monitor delivery throughout the programme and enable corrective action where required.

The source of funding is:

National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Nature Towns and Cities Programme. 

Legal Advice obtained:

Gaining Nature Towns and Cities accreditation is an element and requirement of the approved grant purposes of the NTC grant funding terms and conditions the Council is subject to. Failure by the Council to comply with the approved grant purpose and NTC grant terms could result in recovery/repayment, reduction, suspension and/or withholding of the grant.

Financial Advice obtained:

All time required to complete the accreditation will be covered by the staff employed through the NTC grant. There are no additional costs if we achieve nature city status.

Procurement Advice obtained:

No procurement is required.

HR Advice obtained:

N/A

Climate Change Advice obtained:

The accreditation framework and proposed revisions to the Greenspace Strategy will clearly demonstrate how green and blue space improvements can contribute to the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. 

The following documents have been used to assist the decision process:

• Nature Towns and Cities Accreditation Framework, Nature Towns and Cities Programme, 2025.
• Nature Towns and Cities Grant Funding Agreement, National Lottery Heritage Fund, 2025.
• Salford Greenspace Strategy Supplementary Planning Document, Salford City Council, 2019.
• An introduction to the Nature Towns and Cities project in Salford and Manchester can be found in Appendix A
• A summary of the NTC accreditation can be found in Appendix A
• A link to the website for further information can be found here:  Accreditation - Nature Towns and Cities

Contact Officer:                 Daveen Wallis                  

Telephone number:           07889952773

Signed:  Paul Dennett        Dated: 3rd September 2026

               City Mayor

For Democratic Services use only

This decision was published on 3 September 2026.                                            

This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 10 September 2026 unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.