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** RoD - Environmental Improvement Programme Project Submission Summary Report (2023) for Discussion

30/12/2022 - ** RoD - Environmental Improvement Programme Project Submission Summary Report (2023) for Discussion

Cambridge City Council

Record of Executive Decision

Environmental Improvements Programme 2022-23

Decision of: Councillor Alex Collis, Executive Councillor for Open Spaces, Food Justice, and Community Development.

Reference: 23/URGENCY/E&C/01

Date of decision: 20/12/22 Date Published on website: 21/12/22

Decision Type: Non-Key

Matter for Decision: To approve the allocation of funding to new Environmental Improvements Programme (EIP) applications for 2022-23 following consideration by Area Committees.

Why the Decision had to be made (and any alternative options):

Following a further review of EIP during 2021-22 a further round of project applications was invited in Autumn 2022. Some 70 viable submissions were received and 8 nonviable, not all the viable projects were affordable within the capital funding available – so a mechanism for prioritisation was needed and officers gave an indicative guide on a red/amber/green scale. When EIP applications were last sought in 2019/20 (prior to the Covid pandemic) Area Committees were able to approve the local area programmes, since they met in person. With meetings now continuing to take place digitally that is no longer possible, with the decisions required to be taken by the appropriate Executive Councillor (Open Spaces, Food Justice, and Community Development). The views of all local ward councillors were sought through the Area Committees where they were asked to consider project submissions within their areas and asked to indicate area-based lists of priority projects for consideration by the Executive Councillor for approval decision, the Executive Councillor approved these priority projects.

The Executive Councillor’s decision:

To approve for development and delivery the local area and strategic environmental improvement programme projects as listed in the Appendix A below.

Reason for the decision: As Area Committees are currently not meeting in person the Executive Councillor for Open Spaces, Food Justice, and Community Development is needed to approve the local area and strategic allocation EIP project programmes.

Scrutiny Consideration: The Chair and Spokesperson of Environment and Community Scrutiny Committee were consulted prior to the action being authorised.

Report: The attached addended at Appendix A, identifies the prioritised projects within the Area and Strategic Environmental Improvement Programmes, these are to be developed subject to budgets, resource availability, the outcomes of local consultation, and any further processes and approvals required.

Conflict of interest: None.

Comments: The City Council has a budget of £170,000 (£100,000 for local area and £70,000 for strategic city-wide projects) for Environmental Improvements during 2022/23. Since not all areas had received sufficient project requests to fully utilise the available area funding, the Executive Councillor has redistributed any uncommitted funds to other parts of the city to enable the greatest number of improvements to be delivered.

Appendix A