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Resource the action plan(s)

It is essential to agree the resources that will be made available to implement the action plan. This step may be initiated when the Plan is being finalised, but is also likely to continue into the implementation phase. Whilst it is useful to access specialist resources to pump prime new initiatives, much of the Action Plan will need to be supported out of the council's and / or partners existing budgets.

Finding the resources to implement the Action Plan can be challenging and may take some time. It may be possible to allocate some resources while the Action Plan is being prepared, but in other cases sourcing new funds or reallocating resources may need to be considered in the implementation phase.

For some initiatives, which can be funded out of existing staff time and budgets, it should be possible to commit resources at this stage. Similarly it may be possible to commit immediately to absorbing actions into contract specifications as this may not necessarily add to overall contract costs.

Councils now have much more flexibility in the way that they can spend their capital allocations. For large transport, housing or regeneration programmes, it may be necessary to review the balance of capital so as to give greater priority to adaptation and mitigation measures. It might be possible to do this while the Action Plan is being prepared or this may fall within the implementation stage.

Although there are some special funds and support available to councils on energy and climate change, these could never amount to more than a tiny proportion of the council's (or partners) total expenditure. Whilst it is useful to access these resources to pump prime new initiatives, much of the Action Plan will need to be supported out of the council's and / or partners existing revenue and capital budgets.

Types of Resources that might Support Action Plan Implementation
Category	Examples
Staff time	Within existing workloads: Developing policies and proposals for Local Development Framework or Local Transport Plan; Advice to businesses by Environmental Health Officers. Additional staff time to: Develop a staff travel plan; Manage a private landlord initiative.
Incorporated into contract specifications	School building design. Enterprise support service.
Existing budgets	In-service teacher training. Office equipment.
Reallocated budgets	Housing renewal. Fleet vehicle upgrades. Improved cycling infrastructure.
Rotating funds	Energy measures in the council's own estate. (Ring-fenced funds in which financial savings from investment in energy efficiency measures are reinvested in further energy projects.)
Advice and support from other organisations	Carbon surveys from the Carbon Trust. Green fleet reviews from the Energy Saving Trust. UKCIP can provide a limited level of advice to individual local authorities, but is in the process of developing a support programme for LSPs that have signed up to NI188.
Special funds	Transport Innovation Fund. Local Authority Energy Financing Scheme.

The section on What Resources are Available describes special funding and other support that is available for projects.
The section on council Finance describes some of the ways that councils have funded climate change initiatives.