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Archives: News Articles

November Update: Clean Air Logistics for London

21st November 2022 / Posted by Fiona Coull

CRP and partners have been working hard to deliver the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London (CALL) project.  

Here’s some of the things we’ve achieved over the last few months!  

For more information, please contact CRP Programme Manager Fiona Coull (fionacoull@crossriverpartnership.org). 

CRP’s Reflections on COP27

18th November 2022 / Posted by Susannah Wilks

“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.” 

This is the sobering opening statement from Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General at the opening of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. 

Nobody can doubt the seriousness of the situation. Everybody can play their part in trying to fix it. 

CRP continues to blaze a trail as a Climate Champion, launching its most recent behaviour change tool this week – Sustainable Steps.  This is a business-facing tool to encourage better practices that make environmental as well as economic sense. 

At a more local level, CRP is removing polluting traffic from the streets of Brixton via a Micro Consolidation Hub supported by Impact on Urban Health and Brixton BID.  Look out for PedalMe cargo bikes making clean deliveries to Brixton businesses! 

CRP has also this week supported collaborative trans-national funding applications that are all about Driving Urban Transitions – watch this space! 

Our congratulations go to Federated Hermes Limited and Finance Earth on their appointment as managers for the Big Nature Impact Fund. As per the announcement from COP27 on 17th November, this is ”a new public-private fund for nature in the UK which will unlock significant private investment into nature projects.” 

If you have any ideas for collaborating to improve the environmental sustainability of our planet, please get in touch! CRP Director Susannah Wilks, susannahwilks@crossriverpartnership.org 

 

 

Living Wage Week

18th November 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

Living Wage Week was celebrated 14th – 20th November. With prices rising at an alarming rate, the real Living Wage has never been more important in helping staff during the cost-of-living crisis.   

Paying the living wage and providing security in work by providing guaranteed hours can have a major impact on the lives of employees, along with paying them the living wage for the work they do. 

Over 11,500 businesses have already pledged to pay the living wage, why not join them by becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer. 

Speed limits in Bath to improve air quality and safety

17th November 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

Speed limits of 20mph are being introduced along more roads in Bath to improve air quality. This is hoped to improve walking and cycling in the area. This is the first time 20mph speed limits have been used on busier roads outside of the city centre that predominantly carry through traffic.

New speed limits will be introduced on 14 new roads in the city. The changes follow a consultation last year, in line with the Government’s Gear Change plan.

Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport said: “Keeping our highways as safe as possible for everyone is a priority for us and reducing vehicle speeds on these roads will help with that.

“We want these new speed limits to encourage more walking, wheeling and cycling as part of our Journey to Net Zero ambitions. Many of us are familiar with 20mph limits, which have been introduced in built up areas in towns and cities across the country and bring benefits to residents living in those areas.”

Millions saved through streelight sustainability

8th November 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

Article and image from Public Sector Executive

Suffolk County Council have announced that they are nearing completion on a project to replace streetlights with more sustainable alternatives.

The programme will see the council aiming to replace all of the 43,400 streetlights across the county with longer-lasting, more sustainable, cost effective LED alternatives. Not only will this reduce carbon emissions and light pollution, but it will also reduce the monetary expenditure through a lowering of maintenance costs for the council.

The council has announced that the project has already saved over ÂŁ2.5 million so far, with more expected as the project comes a conclusion.

Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Ipswich, Operational Highways and Flooding, Councillor Paul West, said:

“It has been very exciting to see the incredible progress made on the LED streetlight replacement over the past 15 months. Our partner contractor has shown such resilience throughout which has resulted in a very well-managed programme and successful progress.

“The shift over to these new LED lanterns has enabled the council to save a considerable amount on energy costs and supported our organisations ambition to become a carbon-neutral organisation by 2030.

“I would like to extend my congratulations and thank you to all those working on this project and ensuring its resounding success. I look forward to seeing its continued positive impact in the coming years as we reap the benefits of stronger, cheaper and more environmentally friendly streetlights.”

The council entered a partnership with a global company that would deliver the project, which currently sees around 1,700 upgrades yet to be completed. The council is hoping that 1,200 of them will be completed by the end of 2022.

Another major benefit of the project is that the upgrades will allow the council to have greater control over its own energy consumption. This will not only reduce running costs, but will also automatically flag any lights that aren’t working correctly, reducing the number of night-time inspections needed to discover any faults.

 

City of London Corporation Support

24th October 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

Check out all the support available through the City of London Corporation, including City Advice to help you manage everyday problems, Healthy Start Vouchers and the Emergency support scheme.

Support from London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

24th October 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

Last week, Forbes reported that a survey of 5,000 UK households showed 91% of adults had reported an increase in their living costs compared with a year ago, while almost three-quarters say that costs have become more expensive in the last month alone. Local governments are providing as much support as they can to their residents.

The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War has exacerbated the crisis, but the pandemic, climate change/environmental concerns and supply chain problems have also contributed to it.

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham is offering services from free school meals to free adult social care and working with partners to help locals. The council has given £240,000 in grants to 36 local organisations helping residents with the cost-of-living crisis. A third of the funding is for pensioners, while another third is for households with children under 19.

Click here for more information, or subscribe to the Climate Emergency newsletter, Climate Connects, for useful articles on initiatives.

Lambeth’s Household Support Scheme

24th October 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

London Borough of Lambeth’s Household Support Scheme can help if you’re a resident facing hardship, a crisis, emergency or disaster, including struggling to pay bills or afford food. The scheme provides in-kind support such as vouchers.

London Borough of Lambeth can help households meet living costs through high street vouchers, food vouchers, fuel payments, second-hand furniture, refurbished white goods, a handy-man service and removals/storage service.

Greater London Authority: Warmer Homes

24th October 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

On 1st October 2022, energy prices for most households increased by 27% and the weather is getting colder. The Mayor of London’s Warmer Homes Programme offers grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 for heating, insulation and ventilation improvements for low-income Londoners who own their homes or rent privately and live in an EPC D-G rated property.

The Mayor is actively working with local authorities and voluntary sector organisations to promote the programme and welcomes support to ensure that eligible households in all London communities are able to access funding. The programme has received over 1,000 eligible applications to date.

Warmer Homes will run until 31st March 2023 and early application is recommended to benefit from the scheme before colder weather hits.

Lewisham Bank of Things

24th October 2022 / Posted by CRP Team

The Bank of Things is a new Young Mayors Project, working in partnership with Lewisham Local, aimed at Young People aged 11 to 25 living in Lewisham. The issue aims to address poverty in the borough of Lewisham and provides vital support for everyday necessities for young people in Lewisham facing hardship.

The Bank of Things is a place where young people will be able to drop in and pick up some of the everyday items they need to participate fully in their lives. The Bank of Things relies on donations, so please donate what you can to support young people in the borough!

There is particular interest in donations for toiletries (e.g. deodorant, tampons and toothpaste) and stationery (e.g. A4 lined refill pads, folders, post it notes). There is also a desire to support over Christmas, so please donate any neutral-coloured gloves and socks, book tokens, pre-paid gift cards and sweets.

This initiative will have greater significance this coming winter with a cost-of-living crisis, rising energy bills and rising food poverty. Latest figures have revealed that 41% of children across London are living in poverty, and many do not have access to vital resources or free school meals. This is the highest rate of poverty in any English region.

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