How Bristol City Leap is supporting a just transition
In this blog post below, James Sterling, Bristol City Leap’s Communications and Social Value Manager, explains why supporting a just transition in Bristol is a crucial part of the innovative venture, and the ways it is driving this forward.
An introduction to Bristol City Leap: Bristol City Leap is a pioneering, world-first approach to city-scale decarbonisation. It is a twenty-year joint venture between Bristol City Council, Ameresco, and Vattenfall Heat UK, set to deliver over £1 billion of investment into Bristol’s energy system.
In simple terms, this means a significant increase in renewable energy and decarbonised heat powering our city, making Bristol a cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant place to live, learn, work, and play.
In the first five years of this partnership, at least £424 million will be invested in major infrastructure projects, including the substantial expansion of Bristol’s award-winning heat network. This will provide local businesses and residents with access to reliable, affordable low-carbon heat from sustainable sources. Solar panels and low-carbon heating systems will be installed in local schools, and energy efficiency measures will be implemented in council-owned social housing to help tackle the cost-of living crisis. Additionally, significant investments will be directed towards community-owned renewable energy projects, empowering residents to take part in Bristol’s journey towards carbon neutrality.
Bristol City Leap offers a unique opportunity for transformative change, benefitting both people and communities through innovative, long-term citywide decarbonisation projects. This initiative will not only accelerate Bristol’s transition to net zero but will also deliver substantial societal benefits through local job creation, education, warmer homes, improved quality of life, and stronger, more resilient communities.
A just transition is at the heart of this initiative, ensuring that those in disadvantaged positions are prioritised as the city evolves. Our goal is to make Bristol a fairer and more inclusive place to live, where everyone feels they belong and has access to the opportunities that our carbon neutral city will unlock.
Our focus at Bristol City Leap is on supporting those who need it most. For example, our work in social housing retrofits homes to be more energy efficient, reducing energy bills and enhancing quality of life. Through the Bright Green Homes scheme, we’ve already upgraded over 200 homes, delivering direct benefits to low-income households.
Local communities will continue to gain from Bristol City Leap’s commitment to social value. We are building a local supply chain to support the economy and create 1,000 jobs. Our school’s programme is inspiring the next generation of green leaders, offering internships, work experience, and workshops that focus on underrepresented areas of the city.
From the beginning, we have actively engaged with community groups and organisations, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping this project. Our £1.5 million Bristol City Leap Community Energy Fund, launched last year, supporting the VCSE organisations and the communities they serve to deliver people-led projects which contribute to Bristol’s decarbonisation efforts whilst delivering substantial community benefits. This initiative is designed to accelerate Bristol’s community energy projects, and we have already funded some fantastic initiatives around the city, including a solar kiln at the Bristol Wood Recycling Project and behaviour change actives in schools led by Energy Sparks.
We are also proud to support Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership’s work on just transition. We supported its gathering last year, which brought over 120 people to the Trinity Centre to have a city conversation about just transition, and have presented to the Community Leadership Panel. We are also supporting the upcoming event Just transition: an evening of film, food and conversation. Tickets have sold out but keep an eye out for some of the films on the Partnership’s channels.
In addition we’re involved in the energy and disability strand of the Partnership’s Climate and Disability programme and will be involved in more to come next year. The Partnership does amazing work empowering communities to lead climate action, so we’re thrilled to be able to support what they do.
Bristol City Leap is a crucial part of our city’s response to the climate crisis. Only through collective action can we achieve a just transition. To find out more about Bristol City Leap, feel free to check out our website: https://www.bristolcityleap.co.uk/
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