Kirklees Together

Kirklees is part of a scheme which will see community groups and voluntary organisations across West Yorkshire benefit from grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 for projects that tackle the climate crisis.

We are working in partnership with One Community and The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, along with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to offer grants to support climate-friendly projects.

The funds will be awarded to a range of projects that protect nature and biodiversity, help more people to walk and cycle, increase community access to green space and nature, help to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, and support renewable energy production.

The scheme, which will work to cut emissions across the region, is open until December 2024. It is being funded from the mayor’s £40m to tackle the climate and environment emergency.

We launched Phase 2 of our Climate Change Action Plan in November 2022, which has a collaborative approach to address climate change. These grants form a part of this journey for Kirklees and a practical way for residents through community groups to get involved in carbon reduction on a larger scale in their local area, helping contribute directly to the ambitious target of net zero by 2038 for the district. 

Councillor Naheed Mather, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said:

“We have ambitious goals in Kirklees, to be Climate Ready and reach Net Zero by 2038, and we need as many groups and individuals as possible to take action. This scheme is a fantastic way to support our communities to get involved.

“It’s great that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority share in our vision, these grants will make a real difference across Kirklees and all of West Yorkshire, with so many communities seeing the benefit.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“Tackling inequalities caused by the climate and cost of living crisis in our society is vital and these grants will make a positive difference on people’s lives.

“We’re stepping in at a difficult time where people have lost faith in the Prime Minister and the government’s commitment to tackle these crises.

“We’re giving our communities opportunities to act and implement essential projects that will cut emissions in their neighbourhoods instead of having them imposed by politicians.

“In West Yorkshire, we’re working to transition to a net zero economy by 2038 and we’re committed to working with our partners to be a greener and vibrant region.”

The grants are currently open for expressions of interest from community groups, local climate groups, and voluntary community and social enterprises (VCSEs) in Kirklees to make a significant impact on the local environment and community. Any group expressing interest will be sent a link to submit their application to One Community once the application period opens in the coming weeks.

The next milestone on the council’s carbon-neutral journey, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy, will be going to cabinet for approval this autumn.

You can find out more about the grants on the council website https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/climate-emergency/community-grants.aspx