UK launches new £30m fund for low carbon solutions in South East England

Money from the Government’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will pay for the new Low Carbon Across the South East (LoCASE) project. 

A partnership between Kent County Council, Portsmouth City Council, the University of Portsmouth and 12 local authorities in England’s South East has been established to offer consistent and accessible support for businesses to adopt low carbon solutions, improving sustainability, performance and profitability. 

Known as LoCASE, in total £30.5m in funding from the ERDF has been allocated for the initiative, which is now accepting applications for grants of up to £10,000 from small and medium-sized businesses – those employing fewer than 250 people. The overall aim is to increase demand for low carbon technologies, and help nurture and grow companies working within the environmental goods and services sector. 

‘I am delighted we are able to extend energy efficiency funding and schemes to local businesses. Through Switched On Portsmouth, residents have been able to make improvements to their homes’ energy efficiency whilst cutting bills and carbon,’ said Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Green Recovery, Cllr Kimberly Barrett. ‘With this new funding, business owners in Portsmouth will also now be able to steps towards making their business greener and cutting their carbon footprint.’

LoCASE has a target of assisting more than 2,000 businesses with both financial and non-financial support, creating 160 new companies in the low carbon industry, and saving 30,000 tonnes of CO2 across the delivery area. Examples of schemes that would be eligible include, but are not limited to, upgrades of systems such as IT, heating and lighting, improved workplace control mechanisms, new plant and machinery, better refrigeration equipment, marketing and consultancy costs, and the development of new products. 

In related news, Portsmouth Port has revealed a comprehensive net-zero plan as part of the UK Government’s wider Maritime 2050 strategy. 

Image credit: Richard Brooker-Protheroe