Medway Council is pushing ahead with plans to bid for government funding towards a major tree planting programme in Medway. The potential bid for around £35,000 from the government-funded Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) would help plant at least 15,000 tree whips across 12 separate sites in Medway this December. If successful, the UTFC would award Medway Council exactly 50% of the costs for planting and establishing the trees, including weeding, watering and checking the planted trees. The remaining costs must then be met through match funding, either in the form of money or labour, such as volunteer hours and equipment. However, the Council has admitted that at present there is a 'shortfall' in cash match funding. According to documents from the Climate Change Member Advisory Group meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, the Council has a 'strategy in place to meet this shortfall', but it acknowledges that cash match funding is 'much preferred for a stronger bid and reduced risk of financial issues down the line'. The news of the funding bid comes just as it has been revealed that only 116 trees were planted by Medway Council over 2019.
For comparison, Hackney Council in London has committed to planting a total of 36,000 trees up until 2022. To help tackle the climate emergency, Medway Council is exploring proposals for a 'tree sponsorship scheme' to increase Medway’s existing tree stock, although further details about this are yet to emerge. The Urban Tree Challenge Fund has been developed in response to the government’s commitment to provide £10 million for planting both large and small trees in and around towns and cities in England. Research has shown that urban trees offer a range of benefits, including cooling urban streets in the hot summer months, flood risk mitigation, and improved wellbeing, particularly when in close proximity to large populations of people. The UTCF bid is being led by Medway Council with support from the Medway Urban Greenspace Forum and Medway Norse. The deadline for the Council to submit their funding bid has been extended until 30 June 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photos: Couleur and Giani Pralea from Pixabay Comments are closed.
|
Archive
August 2023
|