MD2285 National Park City Programme - 2018 to 2021

London’s parks, green spaces, and natural landscapes are the places where Londoners can relax, exercise, play and enjoy the capital’s natural heritage and culture. They also provide habitat for wildlife, and contribute both to protecting London from the impact of climate change and helping to improve London’s air quality.

Enhancing the public realm and greening the capital improves the usability and the look and feel of the city, making it a more pleasant place for residents and visitors, and an environment in which businesses can thrive. Furthermore, maximising the benefits of London’s ‘green infrastructure’ contributes to maintaining and improving London’s image as the world’s greenest big city, driving up the capital’s rank in world surveys of liveable cities thereby attracting inward investment creating jobs and growth. This MD sets out the proposed programme and associated expenditure that will deliver the Mayor’s commitment to make London a National Park City (NPC).

The London Environment Strategy (LES) includes a chapter on Green Infrastructure and Natural Capital. This sets out how we intend to work with partners and stakeholders to improve London’s natural environment and make the city greener. Making London a National Park City provides the overarching narrative for delivering the strategy objectives and outcomes and provides a compelling public-facing expression for the programme of work that the Mayor will implement, and the activities of our partners that the Mayor will support. The programme will demonstrate the role of the Mayor in terms of:

• Leadership – through better policy and stronger advocacy
• Delivery – through projects that are the tangible manifestations of policy and advocacy

This Mayoral Decision (MD) provides an update on the detail set out in MD2141, under cover of which the Mayor approved: expenditure of £9m for the period 2017/18 to 2020/21 to fund tree planting and green space enhancement; and £238,000 for 2017/18 to fund National Park City policy and advocacy projects.

The allocation of additional budget of £3m for 2018/19 was approved by the Mayor under cover of MD2268 as part of the approval of the detailed allocation of the component budget for 2018/19.

1. The NPC programme will promote the benefits of green infrastructure (see definition in box below) and demonstrate that this approach is vital to ensure London is a city that protects its natural assets, provides outdoor space for health and well-being and harnesses nature-based solutions to ensure the city is resilient to the impacts of climate change.

• The NPC programme has two overarching objectives:
• Objective 1 – Establish London as a National Park City through creating a supportive policy framework
• Objective 2 – Demonstrate the tangible delivery of the National Park City ambition through direct funding of tree-planting, green space enhancements and public engagement activities

• It supports the green infrastructure and natural environment objectives of LES, which are:
• Making more than half of London’s area green by 2050
• Conserving and enhancing wildlife and natural habitats
• Promoting and valuing London’s natural capital as an economic asset and developing the business case for investment in green infrastructure

• Additionally, the activities and expenditure outlined below aim to provide the tools needed to:
• Empower communities to take part in environmental activities
• Support boroughs to use their planning powers and land-management responsibilities to enhance and increase green infrastructure through tree planting; greening the built environment; and enhancing the amenity and function of parks and green spaces
• Encourage businesses to recognise and promote the economic benefits of greening the city
• Align with, and complement other Mayoral priorities, set out in the LES and other strategies, such as: improving air quality; creating healthy streets; providing good quality housing in liveable neighbourhoods; addressing inequalities (especially in health) and promoting social cohesion

Objective 1 – Establish London as National Park City through creating a supportive policy framework.

1. Creating a National Park City requires not only the protection and management of existing assets (such as the network of parks, green spaces, wildlife habitats, street trees etc.) but investment in these assets to improve their quality and support a significant increase in the greening of the built environment to ensure all Londoners benefit from a green infrastructure that is extensive and accessible. Consequently, a number policy and advocacy projects are required to ensure that the NPC is a success and the benefits of such an approach can be realised.

• The NPC policy and advocacy projects will:
• Highlight the value of green infrastructure for Londoners, London’s economy and London’s resilience in order to make the case for the long-term investment required to maintain, increase and enhance the city’s green infrastructure
• Improve the planning policy framework for protecting green infrastructure and ensuring green infrastructure is incorporated into the built environment
• Support and influence those with primary responsibility for managing and maintaining green infrastructure to ensure they have the resources and tools they need to make London a National Park City
• Create the platform upon which London (and other cities worldwide) can be declared a National Park City
• Explore external funding opportunities, including commercial sponsorship, to provide additional funding to support project delivery (particularly for the National Park City delivery and engagement projects, the Green Spaces Commission pilot projects and organising the National Park City Summit in 2019)

• Investment in NPC policy and advocacy projects during 2017/18 has already resulted in:
• Proposed policies in the draft new London Plan being strengthened to protect the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land, and to maintain and increase green infrastructure in new development through use of an Urban Greening Factor, and provisions to ensure no net loss green cover on small sites
• Research that has demonstrated London’s public green spaces provide services valued at £5 billion per year, and that for each £1 spent by local authorities on green spaces Londoners enjoy at least £27 in value
• Proposals to establish a Green Spaces Commission in 2018 to help boroughs transform their services and explore new ways to secure resources to maintain parks and green spaces
• The first National Park City Week being held in 2018 as demonstration of one of the key criteria for London being confirmed as a National Park a City in 2019.
• £2.2m being secured through EU Horizon 2020 funding to deliver GI improvements on Peabody estate in Thamesmead. Starting in June 2018 the project will test new ways of integrating green infrastructure into regeneration projects in ways that work with and engage residents
• The preparation of a green infrastructure ‘focus map’ to help decision-makers identify potential opportunities to deliver greening to address a number of objectives including improving health, improving air quality and mitigating the impacts of climate change

1. The proposed activities and investment in NPC policy and advocacy projects for the period 2018/19 – 2020/21 are shown in Table 1. These will support and enable the implementation of the green infrastructure and natural environment policies and proposals in the London Environment Strategy.

Table 1 – National Park City - Policy and Advocacy Projects Budget 2018/19 – 2020/21

[NB This table includes the main elements of the policy and advocacy work, set out under broad outputs, highlighting overall costs and related expenditure for the next three years.]

Objective 2 – Demonstrate the tangible delivery of the National Park City ambition through direct funding of tree-planting and green space enhancements.

1. Making London a National Park City also requires direct investment into improving the extent, quality and function of London’s green spaces. Although direct delivery is primarily the responsibility of the boroughs and other owners and managers of land, the Mayor has a role in catalysing activity and providing funds to support projects that encourage community action and deliver exemplar projects that demonstrate the Mayor’s vision of a National Park City. Consequently, the NPC delivery programme supports activities that will help to achieve the Mayor’s manifesto commitment to embark on a tree-planting programme and to improve green spaces to increase access to nature and enhance biodiversity. Delivery will be targeted towards areas where green infrastructure can deliver the greatest benefits for Londoners.

• The NPC delivery programme will:
• Provide grants, advice and support to communities, boroughs, NGOs and businesses to help increase and improve London’s green spaces and tree cover

• Engage communities in tree planting schemes, including providing free trees
• Engage communities in green space improvement programmes
• Empower communities to take part in environmental projects and visit green spaces
• Enable Londoners to volunteer, find local community tree planting or greening activities, or take part in civic activities
• Support businesses to green the public realm and plant trees

​​​​​​​The NPC delivery programme will also explore commercial sponsorship opportunities to provide additional revenue funding to support the objectives of increasing tree planting in London and enabling communities to create and improve green space. Any sponsorship would allow the programme to fund additional projects or planting. For example, sponsorship could be enable additional free trees to be provided for mass tree planting activities in December 2018 (requiring c. £50k-£100k). On a larger scale, research has estimated that over £5m is required to plant up vacant street tree pits in London. The Mayor’s Tree Programme currently includes an allocation of £1m towards setting up a new online sponsorship mechanism and providing some match funding for public realm tree planting in 2019/20 and 2020/21, with the aim of increasing support from Londoners and businesses. Sponsors are not yet secured for these projects, but any additional revenue raised is unlikely to exceed £1m and would be spent by March 2021.

​​​​​​​This MD also provides an update on the proposals and details of expenditure set out in MD2141. It is required because of an additional allocation of £3m for tree-planting and green space projects for 2018/19. It is proposed to use the additional £3m to support the Mayor’s Green Spaces Programme, in particular the Community Green Spaces Grants which had very high demand in the first round, and the new National Park City community events and activities strand which includes engaging Londoners in tree planting. This funding will also cover the costs of a new G8 fixed term post (18 months) to support the delivery of the National Park City community events and activities strand.

​​​​​​​Investment in NPC delivery projects during 2017/18 has already resulted in:

• The allocation of £1.1m to support 55 community led projects to increase access to and improve the quality of community greenspace including 14 school projects and will engage 8,000 children.
• The allocation of £800,000 to add value to 9 projects funded through the Good Growth Fund to increase greening of the built environment.
• The allocation of £2m to enhance up to 6 strategically important parks and green spaces.
• The allocation of £400,000 to support 27 community tree planting projects resulting in over 28,000 trees being planted.

​​​​​​​The proposed activities and investment in the NPC delivery programme for the period 2017/18 – 2020/21 are shown in Table 2. This sets out the planned expenditure of the £12m budget. This includes 2017/18 expenditure so that it can be compared to the £9m budget approved in MD2141. A total of £531,000 (revenue) was spent on the National Park City delivery programme in 2017/18 across a number of budget lines. A more detailed profile of expenditure is set out in Table 3, including a breakdown of the £531,000 spent in 2017/18

Table 2 - National Park City – Delivery Programme Projects and Budget 2017/18 – 2020/21

[NB This table below sets out the main elements of the work programme, overall costs and related expenditure for the period 2017/18 to 2020/21].

Table 3 – Yearly Profile of National Park City Delivery Programme Budget

[NB This budget updates the expenditure profile of the original £9m budget agreed in MD2141. The capital total remains the same as approved via MD2141. The Revenue budget increases overall by £3m].

Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The NPC programme outlined in this MD stems from the policies and proposals in the LES which has been informed by a full Integrated Impact Assessment, including a consideration of equalities.

As a result, environment programmes and projects look to maximise their positive impact on all Londoners. For the NPC programme this could include for example: increasing access to green space, contributing to urban cooling, and reducing the health impact of air quality.

Projects delivered through the NPC delivery programme will continue to engage as many Londoners as possible to help to meet the needs of people sharing protected characteristics under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Grant assessment criteria will aim to deliver projects in deprived wards; engaging people with disabilities; engaging those over 60 and under the ages of 16; engaging with different population groups including those with protected characteristics.

Grant application processes will require a statement about the organisations’ approach to equality and/or the submission of organisations’ equality policies.

Recipients of funding will be required to outline how projects will provide environmental and community benefit. This includes information on the intended beneficiaries. They will be required to advertise their volunteering opportunities via Team London where appropriate.

Key risks and issues

​​​​​​​The key risks and issues are set out in Table 4 below.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

​​​​​​​The National Park City programme will contribute towards:

• The efficient and effective delivery of policies and proposals in the London Environment Strategy, specifically:
  
  • To protect, enhance and increase green areas in the city to provide green infrastructure services and benefits London needs now and in the future
  • To protect conserve and enhance the landscape and cultural value of London’s green infrastructure
  • To protect a core network of nature conservation sites and ensure a net gain in biodiversity
  • To address underinvestment, and improve the management of London’s green infrastructure, by developing new business models and improving the awareness of the benefits of London’s green infrastructure
• The efficient and effective delivery of policies in the new London Plan including: Green Infrastructure, Biodiversity and Access to Nature, Urban Greening, and Trees and Woodlands.
• Delivery of the Mayor’s manifesto commitments including:

• Make London the first ‘National Park City’ – setting a long-term target to make more than 50 per cent of our city green.
• Protect wildlife and biodiversity by creating green corridors through the city.
• Embark on a major tree-planting programme across London, in partnership with businesses and the public sector, with a focus on schools and colleges.
• Strengthen protections for open spaces within the London Plan, including playing fields, Metropolitan Open Land, and our Sites of Importance for Local Nature Conservation and nature reserves.

Mayoral approval is being sought to approve the expenditure of up to £12m to support the increase of London’s tree canopy and to improve London’s green spaces. This MD is an update to MD2141 that approved expenditure of £9m (£2,940,000 capital and £6,060,000 revenue budget) from 2017-18 to 2020-21. Since then the programme has received an additional £3m revenue budget and there has been some revision to the profile spend of the £9m.

This MD also seeks approval to spend an additional £519,000 revenue budget over the period of 2018-19 to 2020-21 to continue the delivery of the National Park City policy and advocacy programme (£173,000 per annum). This is to be funded from the Urban Greening programme revenue budget agreed as part of the 2018-19 budget setting process.

As detailed on Table 3 (Section 2) above it is proposed that the National Park City Delivery Programme will be reprofiled over 4 financial years (2017-18 to 2020-21). The expenditure will be apportioned as shown in Table 3 from the National Park City programme budget; Capital £2,940,000 and Revenue £9,060,000.

The programme is expecting to receive external funding detailed under paragraph 2.11. Currently the amount of external funding and who this may be from is unknown. Further approval will be sought via the Authority’s decision-making process (via a decision form) when more information about the income and expenditure is available.

The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

• the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the statutory powers of the GLA to do such things as may be considered to further, and or be facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the furthering of, the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and
• in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
c) consult with appropriate bodies.

In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public-Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion) and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Officers have indicated that report that a significant proportion of the expenditure proposed will amount to the provision of grant funding as a contribution to the project costs of successful funding applicants and not a payment for services to be provided. They must ensure that the proposed funding is disbursed in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and a funding agreement is put in place between and executed by the GLA and successful applicants before any commitment to the provide funding is made.

To the extent that it is proposed that expenditure is incurred on the procurement of works, services or supplies, officers must ensure that the works, services or supplies are procured in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and that appropriate contract documentation is put in place and executed by the successful bidder(s) and the GLA before the commencement of any works, services or supplies.

The Mayor may, under cover of MD2141, delegated the exercise of the GLA’s functions to the Executive Director of Development, Enterprise and Environment in respect of the approval of all further arrangements for the delivery of the National Park City Programme and that delegation may be taken to apply to the increased expenditure proposed if the Mayor so wishes.

Given that the activity and expenditure proposed relates to extends beyond the current mayoral term officers must observe the principle that an incumbent administration cannot not unreasonably fetter the discretion of any future administration. Officers must ensure therefore, that the programme is managed in a manner, including (without limitation) the inclusion in contracts for works, supplies or services, funding and any sponsorship agreements of break clauses, which enable the GLA to terminate the same (or elements thereof) at any point for convenience and milestone, and payments should be structured so as to minimise the impact of the exercise of such termination rights.

1. Objective 1 - The NPC policy and advocacy programme will be delivered as set out below.

1. Objective 2 - The NPC delivery programme will be delivered as set out below: