The Future of CLASP Support on Sustainability, Energy and Resilience

We are writing to update service users on the future of CLASP (the Climate Change Local Area Support Programme) in the North West.

The service was established in 2008 to assist the North West Local Authorities with the challenges of reducing corporate energy use, tackling fuel poverty of residents, building local resilience, planning for renewable energy and developing a local low carbon economy. For the last two years, the work has been financially supported by the Environment Agency, and previously by both the North West Development Agency and the North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership but this funding is now coming to a close.

The CLASP Advisory Group reviewed opportunities for the future of the programme and wished to try and keep the newsletter and web site service maintained and refreshed for as long as possible. They also wished to keep open the opportunity for any future funds to come back into a refreshed CLASP service. In line with this aspiration, Liverpool City Council, as the Accountable Body for CLASP, put out an open tender to invite organisations to come forward to offer a legacy opportunity in return for a small dowry.

Climate UK CIC (www.climateuk.net) were the successful bidder and have committed to take on the CLASP brand and objectives and to maintain a limited provision of CLASP’s core services for two years while seeking to establish the programme as a sustainable service going forward.

You will be pleased to know that:

• You will continue to receive monthly information bulletins
• The CLASP website will remain live and will be updated with news.
• CLASP Resources will all remain online at www.claspinfo.org/resources (and more will follow early in 2015/16)
• The CLASP service will continue to be provided, in the first instance, by Ailsa Gibson Limited, and the main email contact will remain ailsa@claspinfo.org

Climate UK will seek to reintroduce the events and training which we know have been highly valued by users. New ways of funding this are being considered and will continue to be consulted on. All aspects of the service will remain not-for-profit and free-to-access wherever possible. The Board and the Advisory Group and Liverpool’s status as the Accountable Body will all come to an end.

We would like to transfer your contact details to Climate UK, so that they can continue to assist you and advise you of developments in the future. Please let us know if you would rather that your contact details were not transferred (by emailing ailsa@claspinfo.org). This would remove you from all CLASP mailing lists.

We thank you for your involvement in CLASP. On behalf of the CLASP Board and Advisory Group we would like to wish you all the best for the future, and on behalf of Climate UK we would like to welcome you all and look forward to working together.

Yours sincerely

Colleen Martin

Co Chair CLASP Board

Assistant Director Supporting Communities Liverpool City Council

Kristen Guida

Director Climate UK