Foreword
Purpose
Bring together representatives of the WMCA, with all those across the region who are committed to cutting carbon emissions and enhancing the natural environment to discuss, collaborate and debate different initiatives.
Space for EVERYONE to update one another about their activities to achieve net zero.
Membership
Open to everyone, with no limit to the number of members. Ensure that voices within the Forum are balanced and everyone gets the opportunity to raise their ideas and concerns.
Format
Meetings held four times a year for 2 hours between 6-8pm
- Hybrid meeting approach with in-person and online joining options
- Meeting will move around the WMCA area
- WMCA will provide administrative support, with the agenda open for anyone to bring relevant items to the meeting
Roles and Responsibilities
All to contribute information, specialist knowledge, expertise, ideas and learning to drive forward discussion and decision-making; members are there to collaborate rather than represent the interests of their own organisation
- Other specific roles and responsibilities to be discussed as the Forum evolves e.g. co-convenor roles
- To contribute to the agenda setting for each meeting
Principles and Ground rules
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Participants will adopt a partnership ethos that stresses inclusivity, openness, and transparency in its deliberations, and which drives positive action and improvement as a result of its decisions.
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Every meeting will be engaging, strategic, positive, and focussed on achieving clear outcomes.
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If conflicts of interest occur, participants will be open and honest in order to resolve any issues.
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Agendas will be circulated a week in advance of the meeting with action points showing the individuals/organisations responsible will be circulated within a week of the meeting.
Forum logistics questions discussed previously
Commitment to rotating the Forum around each Local Authority in the West Midlands Combined Authority and meetings should be hybrid.
- The Forum is committed to moving around the region to ensure it remains accessible to all. The Forum shall be hosted in-person and online via Microsoft Teams.
Rolling co-convenor to involve a range of people and interests
- Each Forum shall have a co-convenor with specialist topic knowledge to ensure questions asked by Forum members are answered accurately
Meetings should be more than 4 times a year to discuss important topics – should be 6-8 meetings a year
- Due to limited capacity, the WMCA are unable to organise more than four sessions per year. However, we are committed to ensuring the meetings are informative and useful for all involved. The Terms of Reference shall be reviewed twice a year and updated when needed.
Meetings to start later in the evening from 7-9pm
- This was suggested in one of the breakout rooms and we will continue to raise the logistics of the meetings to ensure everyone is happy with how the Forum operates and they remain accessible for all to join and interact with.
Attendees should feel ownership of the Forum and need to make sure there are action points
- We met with a small agenda setting group for today’s Forum and if you would like to help shape the next Forum meeting, please email wmgreenertogether@wmca.org.uk or let us know today. Space has been left in todays agenda for actions we can all take forward to ensure the conversations continue.
Thought needs to go into how this group feeds into the WMCA Environment and Energy Board and how to influence policy makers
- The board provide strategic oversight for the WMCA’s work and briefing notes from each Forum shall be presented to the board for discussion.
Newsletter/ bulletin to be shared with updates, funding opportunities, project updates
- We have now started a monthly Energy and Environment newsletter to share our work. A link to sign up to this was shared after the previous Forum and shall be circulated again after today.
WMCA have a voice to government and Forum should focus on topics attendees want to lobby for to prevent this turning into similar Forums
- We are currently working on a trail blazer devolution deal, to provide more decision-making powers to the West Midlands. As part of this, we are writing several papers, with net zero being a key focus and discussion had within the Forum can help shape these.
Networking opportunities and sharing of best practice at each meeting
Each in-person meeting shall have networking time included. Those attending online can share contact details with each other and if you would like to make a connection, please email wmgreenertogether@wmca.org.uk and we will send your contact details onto the person for them to contact you.