RESOLVED –
1) That approval be given to accept grant funding of approximately £47m of capital and £2.6m of revenue from Cheshire West and Chester Council to implement and deliver a new Trees for Climate programme for 2026-2030.
2) That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Service Director for Finance and Service Director for Legal, Governance and Commissioning and with the Portfolio Holder for Finance Regeneration to: -
(i) enter into both capital and revenue funding agreements with Cheshire West and Chester Council (the accountable body for the national Defra funded programme).
(ii) Implement and deliver the Trees for Climate programme for West and North Yorkshire (and a wider geography, where appropriate and feasible) including recruitment and procurement of the resources required to deliver the programme objectives including the ongoing monitoring of the outcomes, over multiple years, working in partnership with the Community Forest Trust, and England’s Community
(iii) receive both capital and revenue funding from the Trees for Climate [2026-2030] programme funders both as the accountable body for the WRF and to make offers of grant funding in order to pass funds on to eligible project applicants.
(iv) pursue other funding including match-funding opportunities, private sector donations and sponsorships to support the delivery of the WRF strategic objectives and where
appropriate enter into funding agreements with funders.
3) That authority be delegated to the Service Director Legal, Governance and Commissioning to enter into any external funding agreements including with Cheshire West and Chester Council as accountable body for DEFRA; any funding agreements with third party landowners and /or other ancillary legal agreements / legal instruments/land management service agreements.