Issue - meetings

[To seek approval to accept a grant award from the Woodland Trust for £129,500, to plant 10 hectares of woodland, and to sign the Grant Agreement]

1.      That the Council accept the grant offer under the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund.

2.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Environment, in consultation with the Director of Governance, to sign the Grant Agreement and any other required agreements to enable to grant to be accepted.

3.      That the establishment of a revenue budget of £129,500 for the project be approved. 

The intention to make a key decision on the report ‘Woodland Trust's Emergency Tree Fund - Grant Award’ at the meeting was not publicised in advance as required by the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.  The decision was urgent and could not be reasonably delayed for the following reason:

·      Due to an oversight by officers, it was not realised that accepting this grant required this level of approval until after the deadline had passed. The reason the decision cannot be delayed is to allow the signing of the Grant Agreement in line with the timetable agreed with the funder; a delay would jeopardise the funding and delivery of the project.

In light of the above, consent had been obtained for the key decision to be made at the meeting under the General Exception provisions

Councillor Steve Evans presented the report on a proposal to accept a grant offer of £129,500 from the Woodland Trust's Emergently Tree Fund to fund the planting of 10 hectares of woodland in the Council's parks and open spaces during the 2021-2022 planting season.  Six to eight parks and open spaces would be identified, with a focus on parts of the city where there was a deficit of tree planting. Councillor Evans thanked the Woodland Trust and officers of the Council for the work in securing the grant.

Cabinet colleagues welcomed the proposals and commented on the mini forests planted in the Graiseley area and Bilston North, that had been well received by local schools and communities.

Resolved:

1.    That the Council accept the grant offer under the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Environment, in consultation with the Directors of City Environment and Governance, to sign the Grant Agreement and any other required agreements to enable to grant to be accepted.

3.    That the establishment of a revenue budget of £129,500 for the project be approved.