Latest news from the North West Climate Change Support Programme for Local Authorities and LSPs.

Welcome to the latest newsletter of resources from CLASP - the North West Climate Change Support Programme for Local Authorities and LSPs.

This issue includes news of:
• £22.5k p.a. grants for all planning authorities
• N1 186 NW resources
• CRC Workshop & User Guide
• NI 188 Data Submission
• Events Diary
Area Based Grants
Please see the article below and check with your planning colleagues that your authority is taking advantage of this allocation for climate change activity.

In the mean time why not take a look at the CLASP website?

CLASP & 4NW

Climate Change Area Based Grants - £22k p.a.
Have you claimed yours?
An allocation to each Local Planning Authority (district and unitary authorities) of £22,500 for 2008/09, plus payments for the following two years has been made available by CLG via Area Based Grant to meet the obligations of the Climate Change Planning Policy Statement (PPS).

CLG has confirmed that there are no carry forward limits attached to Area Based Grant (i.e. it does not have to be spent in this financial year). We have been asked to ensure that LA planning departments are made aware of this payment.

A letter has gone out to all relevant authorities, from CLG.

NI 185 - CRC Workshop & User Guide
From April 2010 anyone with a halfhourly electricity meter will be required to register under the Carbon Reduction Commitment. Those using at least 6,000 MWh/year (a bill of around £1m) will have additional responsibilities.

A free seminar by DECC and the Environment Agency on 23rd April, will provide valuable information on how CRC may affect you and what you need to do.
DECC have also now released a Draft CRC User Guide which you can download from here.

NI 185 & 186 - Whole Life Cost Model

Calderdale MBC in West Yorkshire have developed (in MS Excel) a Whole Life Cost Model that allows various aspects of emission and abatement activity to be accounted for.

An example of how they have used this is to assess the whole life cost of a Zero Carbon Homes exercise - to differentiate between gaining a higher no. of Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 homes versus a lower no. of Level 6 homes.

The toolkit can be used for: Pre 'v' Post Carbon reduction measure comparisons, comparing two companies' procured solutions to assess which ones emissions create the greater fiscal impact, and allowing expected 'v' observed emissions/abatements to be analysed.

The toolkit has been developed by Eyan Naylor from Calderdale's Corporate Procurement Unit. The tool is Eyan's own work and is not accredited in any way, he would welcome your comments on it eyan.naylor@calderdale.gov.uk.
NI 186 - Greatest Hits
Thank you to those of you who attended a focus group workshop or who spoke to Quantum about the CLASP Pathway support programme.

We have now identified the type of support you most want, and this will be included in the LSP Engagement Briefings; along with the production of 11 written briefings and an update of the mind maps and related resources we used in the workshops. All briefings will be short - about 4 pages - contain quick facts, case study references (which will be provided separately) and resource and support links.

The resources will be ready in April and have the working title "Greatest Hits". They will focus on:
1. Greatest Hits for District LSPs
2. Greatest Hits for Unitary LSPs
3. Quantifying the Savings
4. Greatest Hits for Low Carbon Economic Development
5. Greatest Hits for Transport
6. Greatest Hits in Planning & Building Regulations Compliance & Enforcement
7. Your Top 10 is my Top 10 - Communicating how climate change targets meet other targets
8. Greatest Hits for Engaging with Business
9. Greatest Hits to support Green Technologies Business Growth
10. Greatest Hits in Smarter Choices
11. Revolving Loan Funds

NI 188 - Data submission

All CLASP local authority members should have already been emailed the draft guide setting out the process for submitting data on NI188 to the hub and the requirements for completing a supporting self assessment matrix.

This guide and supporting information are also available from the NI 188 section of the CLASP website or can be downloaded here.

Events Coming Up

All events are free to attend

24th March NI 188 Preston
CLASP and UKCIP are hosting a regional support event on NI 188. This event is fully booked but presentations will be available after the day at www.clasp-nw.info

26th March Energy and Environment 2009 London
Our Low Carbon Revolution - Driving Economic Growth in the 21st Century

23rd April Carbon Reduction Commitment Manchester
DECC and the Environment Agency will be in the NW delivering a workshop on the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Advance Notice:
April/May: CLASP and ENWORKS are teaming up to deliver two regional events on resource efficiency in the LA supply chain, and engagement with key businesses in your area.

Archived Event:
Full slides and information from the March CLASP "CHP for Planners" workshop are now available to view online. Click here to log in and view (your username is your email address, you can ask for a password reminder).

Age of Stupid - Film Screening

Yesterday - Sunday 15th - saw the premier of a new film The Age of Stupid - staring Pete Postlethwaite and directed by Franny Armstrong, who made McLibel. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?

The makers are using the film as a campaign tool to increase awareness and to lobby politicians and governments ahead of Copenhagen.

The film has not been made in the usual way, and is completely independently funded by individual investors. There were individual small-scale "premier" screenings on the first day in the NW however no NW cinemas have signed up to screen it regularly. The film will however be available on DVD from May, allowing you to run your own local screenings.

The basic principle is that you rent a DVD, pay a small screening fee, print off a license and then any money you make is yours to keep or put towards your own climate change campaign.

To find out more visit the Age of Stupid site.

Q: Would you like to attend or promote a NW public screening of this film?