Tag: Community benefits

Community Benefits: Have Your Say

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The session will be hybrid, please select either in-person or online when you register.

Join MVA & MCAN for a discussion of the Scottish Government’s recent Community Benefits consultation. This is our opportunity to tell the Scottish Government ways they can improve how communities will receive additional benefits from renewable energy developments.

In this session, we will provide an overview of the consultation and go through the key questions for discussion. Feedback will be used to create a combined response, but we encourage everyone to submit their own response to the consultation before it closes on Friday 11 April. You can submit a response here.

Read more about Community Benefits in Midlothian here.

Please familiarise yourself with the consultation questions prior to the meeting.

If you have any questions or access requirements please contact info@mvacvs.org.uk.

 

Consultation background:

This consultation is reviewing the Good Practice Principles for community benefits from net zero energy projects. The goal is to ensure Scottish Government guidance helps communities and developers get the most out of these benefits.

‘Community benefits’ are contributions from developers to local groups. These can include funding, in-kind work, project support, or other benefits like reduced energy bills or affordable housing.

Feedback on making these benefits sustainable and impactful will update the guidance for energy projects, outlining best practices for developers and communities.

For more context, find the UK Parliament paper here.

The consultation will close on Friday 11 April, we urge everyone to respond to the consultation regardless of whether they attended this session.

 

Midlothian TSI training & events are open to:

  • Staff, volunteers and directors of community groups, third sector organisations and social enterprises that benefit people living in Midlothian.
  • Anyone starting up or thinking about starting up a new community project or social enterprise that will benefit Midlothian residents.
  • Community councillors and other Midlothian-based community activists.
  • Staff from key public sector partner agencies (Midlothian Council, NHS Lothian, etc).
  • Priority will always be given to people working in Midlothian, but where space allows we will offer limited slots to third sector colleagues from other areas of Scotland.
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Community Benefits in Action – Wishes Delivered

Community benefits are special contract conditions, additional to the main purpose of a public contract, whereby suppliers or developers must make contributions to improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the local area.

Here are a few examples of benefits which have been delivered recently in Midlothian:

FES Energy Shawfair Energy Centre and District Heating Network project donated £1,000 to Newton Church Hall to kickstart their fundraising for a new automated door to make it more accessible for the many groups that utilise the hall. They also provided gardening equipment for their after-school club to plant a vegetable garden.

Millerhall Residents Group also received a donation of £1,000 from FES towards a new gate for their play area and some bat boxes for bats whose habitat may have been lost in the new housing development.

The Base, a new youth club in The Hub Danderhall, received a donation of £500 towards their rental costs from Clark Contracts, who are undertaking work at the Western General Hospital.

Roslin Guerrilla Gardeners were delighted to work with 2 volunteers from Clark Contracts who spent a day clearing weeds at Roslin Medical Practice.

Midlothian Voluntary Action placed a bid on the NHS portal for 8 new office chairs which was fulfilled by Langstane Press Ltd.

We offer free community benefits training to organisations & community groups in Midlothian! We’ll take you through how to apply, offer 1-1 support, and answer any questions you may have.


MVA staff happy with their new office chairs!