- Build staff confidence in discussing climate change and advocating for its importance.
- Make sure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to tackle climate change.
- Make sure that council teams have the resources and support to deliver climate action.
- Make sure governance processes reflect the importance of climate change.
- Engage and co-deliver climate action with teams across the council.
Enabler 1: Organisational capacity and skills
The council can only deliver on its climate objectives with the active support and participation of staff across the organisation. It will need to make sure that climate action is embedded and its workforce has the skills necessary to tackle the different aspects of this challenge.
Things the council has already done in this area:
- created an e-learning package for staff to introduce them to climate issues
- enabled the creation of an Officer Climate Network, which connects staff interested in the issue from across the council and lets them share knowledge and experiences
Key objectives
Priority actions
I1: Offer suitable training to all council staff to build general carbon literacy and, where relevant, develop the specialist skills some teams will need.
I2: Increase the capacity of the climate team so that it can provide other teams with appropriate support.
I3: Build an increased focus on climate change into internal processes, including service planning and budget-setting for both revenue and capital budgets.
Co-benefit
Recruitment and retention - by enhancing the council’s reputation and creating opportunities for staff.
Monitoring
We will monitor:
- responses to climate-related questions on staff surveys
- levels of engagement with training and initiatives
- climate change information and actions included in budgets and service plans
- use of tools such as the council's Integrated Assessment Tool, which includes climate impacts
Principles supported
2. Working with and supporting others.
7. Harnessing innovation and technological development.
Enabler 2: Funding
Many of the actions in this strategy and the action plan to follow will require extra resource, funding or investment. The council will not be able to cover all of this from its own resources and will need to use a range of funding streams including:
- The council’s revenue and capital budgets.
- The climate change strategic reserve.
- Borrowing.
- Grant funding.
- Corporate sponsorship.
- Private sector investment.
- A Local Climate Bond, giving residents a chance to invest in local projects.
- Insetting, or offsetting in the local area, to attract funding from organisations looking to offset their own emissions.
- Section 106 travel plan or carbon offset funding from developers.
Things the council has already done:
- obtained funding from the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) and Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to help decarbonise the council estate
- obtained a grant from South Western Railway’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund to expand the Eco Rewards scheme
Key objectives
- Secure the funding needed to deliver council objectives.
- Make sure the climate change team has the skills and capacity to support other teams.
- Maximise the impact of spending from residents and other local, regional and national organisations on tackling climate change.
Priority actions
J2. Produce a framework for the identification of suitable forms of finance for different projects, and for delivering finance through different means.
J3. Identify suitable projects to support delivery of a Local Climate Bond.
J4. Explore the possibility of a joint venture with an energy or other private sector company to deliver investment in climate action, perhaps at Berkshire-wide level.
Co-benefit
Council finances – by building the capacity of the organisation to seek external funding.
Monitoring
We will monitor the:
- level of external funding raised
- progress towards the funding needed to decarbonise the council and deliver the net zero transition across the borough
- proportion of competitive grant funding applications that are successful
Principle supported
5. Making sure climate action delivers other benefits where possible.
Enabler 3: Partnerships
Climate action in Bracknell Forest will only succeed if everyone collaborates to drive it forward, as the council cannot deliver net zero or protect the borough alone. As a trusted partner with links across the local area, the council is well-placed to drive wider action.
The council will need to work with a range of key stakeholders including:
- residents
- businesses
- schools and Bracknell and Wokingham College
- public sector partners, for example local NHS trusts and Thames Valley Police
- regional bodies such as the Berkshire Prosperity Board, which brings together the six Berkshire authorities, and the Local Resilience Forum
- charities and the voluntary sector
- community and faith groups
- parish and town councils
- utility and service providers, for example transport, water and electricity providers
- national government, government departments and local MPs
- national bodies such as the Environment Agency
- nearby universities
- supporting bodies such as the Greater South East Net Zero Hub (GSENZH)
Aims 3 and 5 link to this enabler by setting out how the council will engage with and support residents, local organisations and businesses. This section focuses on partnership working more generally.
Things the council has already done:
- set up the Joint Climate Action Board (JCAB), a collaborative body bringing together representatives from all sectors of the local economy and community which leads the activities of the BFCCA
- organised 2borough-wide climate summits to bring representatives of local organisations together to learn from each other and discuss joint action
- collaborated with neighbouring local councils on climate activities, such as a workshop for a local charity delivered jointly with Wokingham Borough Council
Key objectives
- Embed partnership working and co-delivery in climate activities.
- Take opportunities to deliver climate action at scale by working with neighbouring authorities, the Berkshire Prosperity Board and regional organisations.
- Engage with local utility and service providers to ensure the borough has the infrastructure it needs.
- Secure and maximise the benefits of external support to advance climate activities.
Priority actions
K1. Co-deliver climate action with the BFCCA or other local partners wherever possible.
K2. Support the creation and implementation of a Community Climate Emergency Strategy by the BFCCA to provide a framework for local collaboration.
K3. Identify and explore potential opportunities for joint delivery of climate activities at regional level.
K4. Develop detailed guides to outline:
- What is needed from national government to deliver this strategy
- How the Berkshire Prosperity Board and regional partners can help deliver this strategy
- How local partners, including schools, can help deliver this strategy
- How local organisations such as parish and town councils, charities and community groups can help deliver this strategy
- How residents can help deliver this strategy
K5. Engage with external bodies such as the Local Government Association and the Greater South East Net Zero Hub to make full use of their support.
Co-benefit
These activities will also support partnership working by forging new links and embedding this approach across the council.
Monitoring
We will monitor:
- feedback from council teams and external organisations
- external engagement with the strategy
- proportion of activities co-delivered or delivered at regional level
Enabler 4: Research and data
Things the council has already done:
- improved its collection of emissions data over time to improve and expand the scope of its calculated carbon footprint
- attended events and forums such as the Local Government Association’s Sustainability Action Forum to learn from other councils and embed best practice in its climate activities
Key objectives
- Develop robust datasets and modelling on emissions and climate impacts to underpin effective action and pathway development and ensure value for money
- Conduct in-depth research and engagement to understand the local picture and tailor climate action to Bracknell Forest and its local areas and communities
- Embed best practice into climate activities to maximise impact
- Evaluate climate activities on an ongoing basis to identify improvements
- Use and trial innovative technologies and approaches, learning from research and trials ongoing elsewhere
- Share learning from our activities with the sector to raise our profile
Priority actions
L1: Provide support to the JCAB to help it move its projects forward, and co-deliver climate action with JCAB partners, where possible.
L2: Support the creation and implementation of a Community Climate Emergency Strategy by the JCAB to provide a framework for local collaboration.
L3: Provide targeted support for community groups to tackle climate change, such as small grants or match funding, advice and toolkits.
L4: Create guidance for and provide advice to council teams and other organisations to help them co-produce and co-deliver climate action .
L5: Develop detailed plans to outline:
- what is needed from national government to deliver this strategy
- how the Berkshire Prosperity Board and regional partners can help deliver this strategy
- how local partners, including schools, can help deliver this strategy
- how local organisations such as parish and town councils, charities and community groups can help deliver this strategy
- how residents can help deliver this strategy
L6. Develop a partnership with one or more local universities to benefit from their academic expertise.
L7. Engage with the GSENZH to make full use of their support.
Co-benefits
These activities will also support:
- community cohesion – by giving residents new forums to connect with each other
- partnership working – by forging new links and embedding this approach across the council
Monitoring
We will monitor:
- quality and range of data held by the team and success in filling any gaps identified
- case studies shared with the sector and feedback received
Principles supported
3. Making financially responsible decisions based on evidence.
5. Making sure climate action delivers other benefits where possible.
6. Tackling climate change collectively as an organisation.