Overview

Land Use - Natural Capital:

Lead Role and Delivery Route:

This will be led by the Environment Team at the West Midlands Combined Authority:

• Promotion of the opportunities around tree planting and other nature-based solutions
• Co-ordinating with local authorities
• Programme Management

Investment required to 2026:

£60m within first FYP A budget of ~£200k per annum would be appropriate with 2 or 3 staff dedicated to its management, within the wider team.

Stakeholder:

Landowners, local authorities, NGOs, business representatives, universities, developers, DEFRA group (to include Natural England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission) and LEPs.

Local Authority collaboration:

Work with WMCA and other stakeholders to ensure existing natural capital plans are joined up with cross-boundary opportunities. Lobby gov for funding. Develop policies at local level with natural capital group and a natural capital accounting approach.

Next Steps:

The WMCA should fund the initial management and administration to promote this with others through a regional natural capital board, develop the full business case, co-ordinating with the stakeholders.

 

Land Use - Renewables:

Lead Role and Delivery Route:

It is proposed that this is led by Energy Capital, working closely with the WMCA Environment Team and local authorities and regional stakeholders to unlock investment opportunities. The routes to delivery may be different for each opportunity but the emphasis will need to be on delivering at pace and scale.

Investment required to 2026:

£50m gross investment within first FYP A budget of ~£200k per annum would be appropriate with 1 or 2 staff dedicated to its management, within the wider team.

Stakeholder:

Landowners, local authorities, investors and developers

Local Authority collaboration:

Work with Energy Capital to identify available land and rooftops, as well as stakeholder opportunities, to install renewables. Develop preferred route to delivery and business cases where LA owned investment.

Next Steps:

The WMCA should fund the initial management and administration to promote this with others, develop the full business case, co-ordinating with the stakeholders.

 

Cross - cutting:

Lead Role and Delivery Route:

This will be led by the Environment Team at the West Midlands Combined Authority and will include:

• Management of net zero business pledge
• WM2041 behaviour change, working with communications teams and region stakeholders
• Programme management, administration and reporting of WM2041 progress, including providing the secretariat function for the WM2041 Net Zero Delivery Board

Investment required to 2026:

Funding to oversee programme delivery within the WMCA Environment Team. Some elements of the programme may attract external funding, for example, the Net Zero Business Pledge.

Stakeholder:

Local authorities and key stakeholders such as Sustainability West Midlands to support delivery. All regional stakeholders to be engaged as appropriate

Local Authority collaboration:

There are opportunities to work with the WMCA Environment Team to deliver the cross cutting wok on business engagement, carbon literacy and behaviour change programmes.

Next Steps:

The WMCA should fund the initial management and administration to promote this with others, develop the full business case, co-ordinating with the stakeholders.