Matthew Letley

Engaging schools on climate change is a critical component of any council’s plans for decarbonising their area. Schools are big energy users - and they offer an opportunity to engage & inspire the next generation on environmentally-friendly lifestyles. The next Ashden East Midlands local authority climate action workshop will focus on this topic, taking place on 16 January, 2-4pm. We’ve got a great line-up of speakers, with plenty of time for participants to ask questions & share their own experiences: ➡️ Cindi Blunt & Jelly Mae Moring AIEMA from Ashden’s Let's Go Zero programme, will introduce the East Midlands Climate Action Advisors, who offer free hands-on, tailored advice for schools (and the councils supporting them) to help save money and decarbonise. ➡️ Marc Tench from Leicester City Council will explain how Leicester schools are being supported by the Ashden Climate Action Advisors. ➡️ Alexandra Jemison from ProVeg UK will talk about how they are partnering with councils to encourage schools to think about food and climate. ➡️ Sibel Yalmaz from Midlands Net Zero Hub will explain how they can support schools and councils to fund heat decarbonisation via PSDS & LCSF grant schemes. Attendance is free & open to all local authority officers and councillors in the East Midlands area. Please feel free to share. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/e9WVg--Y #climateaction #sustainableschools

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How embedded is social value in your local authority? Assessing social impact means being committed to transparency, accountability, and community growth. The Social Value Maturity Assessment is a free tool designed to help local authorities evaluate and enhance social value integration. Why It Matters: Social value isn’t a box to tick. It’s about embedding long-term impact directly into your operations. This assessment uses Social Value International’s 8 Principles to give you a clear picture of your organisation’s strengths and areas for improvement. Key Benefits: 👉 Understand how deeply social value is integrated across your programmes and procurement. 👉 Recognise what’s working well and where there’s room to grow. 👉Track growth over time and anonymously compare with similar organisations. 👉 Receive a personalised report and, if desired, detailed recommendations from a member of our team. Ready to make a difference? ➡️ Access the Free Assessment Here: https://lnkd.in/ewNSaed4 How is your organisation enhancing its social value? Share your approach in the comments!

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The Skills England report published last month illustrates the difficulty that officials and their advisors have with reconciling early 20th Century Fabian/Haldane planning mindsets with the 21st Century pace of change and the need to harness the full diversity of human talent, not just traditional filtering for memory and logic - "which any properly programmed computer can handle". The challenges of educating for an AI-driven world were identified over 40 years ago. See "Learning for Change", put on-line for me by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2010. Albeit we used the terms "Intelligent systems" and "Machine Learning" and the "systems" often needed air-conditioned mainframes to drive them. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Better Hiring Institute (BHI) TechSkills.org Skills England Labour Digital WCIT Financial Services Technology Panel Real Time Club Digital Policy Alliance Digital Leaders https://lnkd.in/efSqwmEZ

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Kirklees Sustainability Peer Sessions – New Dates! Do you want to improve environmental sustainability in your business? Make changes with the support of like-minded peers. West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Business Sustainability Support team is hosting peer networking sessions for local SME's. Meet fellow decision makers and: Discover how other local businesses have become more sustainable Troubleshoot your sustainability challenges Get the support you need to make real change and identify cost and energy savings in your business. Carbon Management Wednesday September 4th at Dark Woods Coffee Focusing on carbon management, in session three you'll speak to your peers about the challenges and solutions of carbon generation and reduction. A Business Sustainability Manager will be present to help you understand how to calculate your business' carbon footprint and how to effectively manage its reduction. https://lnkd.in/ebyqyYND Green Tech & Innovation Monday October 7th at Dark Woods Coffee The fourth instalment of our Sustainability Peer Network Sessions will explore green technology and innovation. This fully funded event will navigate the world of green tech and how it can help your business overcome its sustainability challenges. Whilst you discuss with your peers the associated problems, an Innovation Relationship Manager will be present to guide you through the support landscape providing your business with cost-effective and actionable solutions. https://lnkd.in/eBmsJx-F

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#Resource #ThirdsectorLeeds As many of you may have gathered, we have been increasingly leading and delivering on #thirdsector #Infrastructredevelopment and #leadership programmes across Leeds. One of the resources that I always signpost my clients to look at is this brilliant, valuable toolkit put together by #Forumcentral. If you are working with the #thirdsector then I highly recommend checking this link below. https://lnkd.in/dqN_BZMv #trainingresources #inclusivecommunities #inclusivethinking

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𝐆𝐁 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲...𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 It was great to spend time with Chair of Great British Energy Juergen Maier CBE FRS FREng this morning, hearing first hand his perspectives on GBE’s scope, ambition and challenges. I was able to share details about the Chamber, our work on behalf of members and role in the regional economic partnership. And to reinforce that the globally unique energy eco-system in the North-east of Scotland is already progressing the transition agenda and stands ready to support GBE in turbocharging our future energy ambitions. Of course, I caveated this by discussing the potential ‘gap’ that was being caused by current oil & gas fiscal policy and rhetoric that risks seeing the capital, people, supply chain businesses and equipment needed to accelerate clean energy projects in the North Sea being lost overseas or perhaps altogether. We discussed our submission to the Great British Energy Bill Call for Written Evidence and the work being led by British Chambers of Commerce on securing the long-term future for North Sea energy production. I reiterated that the AGCC team is here to support GBE in any way we can. From convening the supply chain to communicating key messages through our media channels. From sector research to providing collateral to attract staff to relocate here. And from playing a role in inward investment activity to advising on future office accommodation. On the latter point, I was delighted to hear Juergen confirm his commitment to support our efforts to reenergise and repopulate Aberdeen city centre by locating the GBE HQ there. All done over a cup of coffee and butteries. Energy transition, on a roll, powered by Aberdeen. Europe’s clean energy capital. Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce #Aberdeen #AGCC #Energytransition

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These 'free to sign-up for' transformation roundtables from the Local Government Association start in September & will be an excellent resource for any council embarking on a transformation journey of their own. It's great to see Socitm Advisory #LocalGov customers will be presenting & sharing their stories too. #ERP #DigitalTransformation #BusinessChange

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Considering applying for R&D grant funding? Some useful information here!

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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) led the development of the 'Local Skills Improvement Plan for Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland', a vital plan of action for better education, training and skills provision, that closely reflects the needs of employers like yourselves, which was commissioned by the Department for Education and published in August 2023. We've now reached Phase 2 of the LSIP, which is all about delivering this plan. It is crucial that employers, business owners and leaders continue to feed into this process, as we need to ensure that actions intended to achieve one or more of the priorities outlined in the LSIP Report, are hitting the mark and having the desired effect. Completing this online survey will take around 15 minutes and represents a crucial input to both navigating and evaluating the implementation and impact of the LSIP.

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Join Innovate UK for an insightful webinar designed to guide you through the Innovate UK funding landscape and provide tools to strengthen your grant application strategy.🚀 During this workshop, you'll have the opportunity to meet the Innovate UK Business Growth team and learn about the range of support services they can provide, tailored to drive business success and innovation. The team will walk you through the specially developed Funding Toolkit, which offers step-by-step guidance and resources to help structure your application effectively. From understanding eligibility criteria to highlighting key elements that make applications stand out, this session covers essential insights and practical tools to boost your funding potential. 🔹 Introduction to Innovate UK Business Growth and how they support businesses 🔹 Overview of Innovate UK funding opportunities and what makes a competitive application 🔹 Learn about the Funding Toolkit to help you structure and optimise your application 🔹 Tips and strategies to align your project with Innovate UK’s evaluation criteria 🔹 Q&A with the team to address your funding challenges 📆 Friday 15 November, 11am - 12noon 🎟️https://buff.ly/4fEnjJT #funding #workshop #webinar #guidance #resources #applicationsupport #fundinglandscape

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💫 Social enterprises are nearly three times as likely to have developed a new product or service in the past year than their mainstream business equivalents. If you're a #SocEnt that has brought innovative to market in the past year, apply for a #SBWAward24 to recognise your work on a national stage:

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Mass participation fundraisers need to demonstrate green credentials to attract young people. We explore how organisations can make their events sustainable. 🔗 Read the full article here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ezjpfPTY #CharityDigital #Sustainability #NonProfit

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Read below to discover how Wigan Council has leveraged QuickAction, Agilisys' GenAI platform, to streamline business administration processes and achieve significant time savings! 😲💸 Read the case study here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e58KxNCG Want to get a free QuickAction demo? Click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/epSSefqU #QuickAction #GenAI #Agilisys #PublicSector

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We Are Here To Help You Communicate Your Social Value Effectively At Variegate Growth, we simplify and highlight your valuable work using: ✅ Tailored templates to tackle tender questions. ✅ On-the-ground support to deliver initiatives with community partners. ✅ Impact reports aligned with KPIs and CSR goals for stakeholders. The UK’s focus on Social Value in procurement means businesses must now demonstrate real contributions to sustainability, inclusion, and economic growth in their tenders. This shift brings challenges in cultural transformation, supplier readiness, and effective market engagement but also big opportunities to create lasting impact. If you’re ready to save time, resources, and make a difference, connect with us and learn how we can help you succeed. Support With Tenders: https://lnkd.in/eehwDjjQ Support With Community Partnerships: https://lnkd.in/e2nxb2sU #SocialValue #TenderSupport #ESG #Sustainability #PublicProcurement

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77% of small businesses have already started their sustainability journey. Here's a summary of a full report provided by Small Business Britain (SBB). In the attached article are links to the full report, with downloads and a British Sign Language, executive summary, video. Sustainability IS a Growth Opportunity So, as we're coming up to vote! You might wish to look how knowledge gaps, financial limitations, lack of government support, advice from SBB being preferred over governmental sources, and the need for practical support such as mentoring and training, are highlighted as barriers to growth in this vital area. The report also answers questions like: 1. How much impact does the Governments commitment to the 2050 net zero target have on small businesses’ approach to sustainability? 2. What's the current level of sustainability support for small businesses? 3. What are the influences in making sustainability decisions? And more... CMR Focus + Growth alongside Conscious Entrepreneurs are committed to supporting the steps needed to move our business services and products towards consumer spend that has sustainable values alignment. And don't forget, organisations like Play It Green | Certified B Corp Good Business Charter Cambridge Network Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) all offer support, resources, and training. Plus, on your doorstep BIPC Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (and counties throughout the UK) provide free and low-cost business support and advice to start up business owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors like you. #smallbusinessbritain #sustainablebusiness #goodbusinesscoaching

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Do You Take Calculated Risks or do You Gamble? "Calculated risks" and "gambles" both involve making decisions under uncertainty, but they differ significantly in terms of how much thought, information, and strategy go into the decision-making process. The key differences are: Calculated Risks: A decision made after careful analysis of the possible outcomes, benefits, and drawbacks. The organisation has considered all available information and has a good understanding of the probability of success and failure. It provides a rational approach because it Involves logic, research, data analysis, and experience. The decision-maker evaluates the risks and rewards before acting. Effort is put into understanding and managing variables that can influence the outcome, and there is an attempt to mitigate risks and minimise the downsides. If a business decides to expand into a new market after studying customer demand, market conditions, competitor activity, and potential profits, they know there’s a risk, but they are prepared for possible challenges. Gambles A decision where little analysis is done, and the outcomes depend heavily on chance or luck. There's often a large element of unpredictability, with little or no control over the variables. Gambles are driven more by hope, intuition, or gut feeling rather than careful planning and data. There is often a significant lack of understanding or regard for the odds of success or failure. Gambles tend to be riskier because the decision-maker lacks the information needed to estimate the potential outcome. The consequences expose the company to high levels of risk and uncertainty and the outcome is left to fate. A not uncommon example is a start-up founder launching a product without any market research, simply using gut feel and hoping it will attract customers. Calculated risks involve thoughtful, informed decision-making with a clear understanding of potential outcomes, while gambles are decisions with little information or strategy, relying more on luck than analysis. The approach you take is almost certain to define the future of your product/service. How confident are you in your risk management approach? Is there room for improvement? Contact us at www.peakgovernance.co.uk to discover how others have enhanced their financial, operational, and reputational outcomes. #ManageRisk #Sustainability #BusinessGrowth #FutureReady

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