FUTURENOUGHTS
NET ZERO AS IF PEOPLE AND PLACE MATTERED...
Jonathan Ward is a Net Zero Innovation and Delivery Manager at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, working for the Norfolk Climate Change Partnership (Fast Follower cohort).
Norfolk Net Zero Communities is focussed on more efficient homes, cleaner heat and electricity, and greener forms of travel for the county’s residents. Whilst there may be one end goal around net zero, there are many starting points and contexts for people. So, there will be different routes and obstacles for residents to overcome as a result.
That’s why we are focussing on identifying and overcoming residents’ non-technical barriers to adopting interventions and connecting to and supporting greater local supply. This could be anything from knowledge on measures, to finance, planning, suppliers and complexity of funding – but there are other ones related to people and place too.
The project is the first for our partnership of seven districts and one county council (together with representation from other sectors). Since starting, the project has selected seven communities, one per authority, informed by qualitative and quantitative data, so that together they give a cross-section of Norfolk to enable our learnings to apply to the wider county. Time has been spent engaging with Parish/Town councils and residents’ groups to build support and create a richer picture of their communities. These communities are being connected to build a supportive network to accelerate action.
Personally, I’ve spent the last couple of years retrofitting my house and changing my transport. I found a lot of barriers at all stages, and I’m really motivated to addressing these so others don’t have to experience them”.
The project is also engaging with local businesses that are, or could be, part of the supply chain. We will be capturing the barriers they see for customers, and their own barriers to engaging with this area of provision, with signposting to support to become a supplier.
We’ll be working with experts to use innovative engagement and co-production methods with each community to capture their views, enabling work with residents to develop and test ways to overcome barriers through better information and support built around diverse community needs.
We want to meet people where they are at, working through local groups and activities to shape Norfolk’s response to climate change in way that combines reducing emissions with improving quality of life and supporting a sustainable economy. What we learn will be fed back through the councils and local decision making and support networks that people use, including suppliers.
It’s about making the best options for residents, the easiest option to pursue. I strongly believe understanding how to engage and support citizens is crucial to fairer and more effective local delivery and making better use of existing funding.
I’m really looking forward to building new relationships in the cohort; we’ll get there faster working together. It’s inspiring being in an environment where you are challenged and supported to keep learning.