Decision details

The report updated Committee on regional progress towards tackling the climate and ecological emergencies and sought approval to adopt a revised regional Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan (CESAP) 2023; and expand the Green Recovery Fund (GRF) to £60m.

The West of England Combined Authority Committee RESOLVED to:

1.    Note progress on Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan 2022 actions, as set out in Appendix 2.

2.    Adopt the Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan 2023 as set out in Appendix 3.

3.    Support expansion of the Green Recovery Fund by £10m to invest in priority projects that target the climate and ecological emergencies, including allocating £6m from the existing Combined Authority Investment Fund headroom as shown in Table 8.1 of this Report.

4.    Note that, as part of the Green Recovery Fund expansion, further development work will take place to determine supply and demand for green construction skills, building on the Post 16 Education and Infrastructure Report and aligning with a refreshed West of England Employment and Skills Plan, with an update to come to June 2023 Committee meeting.