Your Application for the Local Nature Partnership Fund This form consists of 12 questions. Please consider the word limits expressed with each question when responding. 1. What is the name of the partnership/organisation(s) applying for funding? (50 words) Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Wiltshire Environmental Alliance, Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council. The development of the proposal will be carried out by a partnership steering group including Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council. Contact for this application is Dr Gary Mantle, Director, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, [email protected] 2. What geographic area do your organisations cover? Please supply a map or relevant postcodes. (100 words) The geographical coverage of the proposed LNP is the administrative boundaries of Wiltshire and Swindon. 3. What outcomes and outputs will you achieve (for 2011/12) in line with the fund’s objectives? (500 words) Fund Objective 1: To enable existing environmental partnerships who aspire to become LNPs to broaden their agenda, membership and vision. The creation of the Wiltshire and Swindon Nature Partnership (WSNP) will bring together a number of existing bodies to create a single strategic group better able to provide direction, set priorities and engage a broader range of organisations. The WSNP will replace the Wiltshire Environmental Alliance within the Wiltshire ‘Family of Partnerships’, reporting to the Wiltshire Co-ordinating Group whose remit is the achievement of the Wiltshire Community Plan, Swindon’s Sustainable Community Strategy: A Shared Vision for Swindon and to the Public Service Board. The WSNP is intended to also replace the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Partnerships and the existing separate committees for County Wildlife Sites and the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre. The new WSNP will provide a clearer focus to the Wiltshire Environmental Alliance and enable the other groups to embrace a broader vision. These bodies already have a strong base and reputation but we wish to consolidate the activity of each of these into one LNP to prevent duplication of effort, promote efficiency and create a single vision for Wiltshire and Swindon. It will make it easier to engage with the emerging Local Enterprise Partnership for Wiltshire and Swindon. In Swindon, the group addressing the environmental block of the Local Area Agreement has ceased to meet and the proposed WSNP will help fill this gap. Outcomes • Broad based LNP operating at the same level as other key decision-making bodies in Wiltshire and Swindon • A Wiltshire and Swindon wide shared vision for a functional ecological network Outputs Agreed Terms of Reference • LNP Development Workshops held to agree LNP representation (with representatives from existing Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Forums, Environmental Alliance and Swindon Strategic Partnership) and other terms of reference, including clear governance arrangements, reporting structures and links into Wiltshire and Swindon family of partnerships • Meetings with Local Enterprise Partnership(s) to secure representation on the LNP and agree arrangements for ongoing engagement Evidence base • Meetings to discuss and agree the data needs for the LNP including identifying data gaps, plans to resource the collection of these and analysis and interpretation work going forward, the future content of the State of the Environment Report and possible ecosystem assessment for Wiltshire and Swindon Environment Plan • Meetings held to discuss and agree a high level vision for Wiltshire and Swindon and a three year Wiltshire and Swindon LNP Strategic Plan • Start production of outcome focused delivery plan/framework outlining contribution of partners and mechanisms for engaging all stakeholders. The plan to identify the range of place based, technical, and thematic delivery groups/partnerships required and include methods for monitoring and evaluating success/progress towards achieving the vision Funding • Agree short and medium term (3-5 years) sustainable funding for this/these posts and additional activity required i.e. securing data where gaps identified 4. How much money are you bidding for? (Most bids will be in the region of £20,000, however added value cases will be considered for amounts up to £50,000) (100 words) £15,000 as contribution towards the costs of employing a WSNP Manager for six months (including salary, NI, management, office and travel costs) to coordinate the establishment of the LNP as per milestones identified in question 5. £5,000 towards workshop costs (venue hire, travel, subsistence) £5,000 towards the costs of producing promotional materials where appropriate including the production of WSNP Strategic Plan and design, set up and maintenance of WSNP website. Total: £25,000 We would expect most of the funding to spent and claimed by 31st March 2012 but the remainder would certainly be claimed by June 2012. 5. Please indicate your key milestones and timeline for delivery (800 words) Dates Milestone July – 30th September Consider with partners potential Nature Improvement Area 2011 application and progress August/Sept 2011 Meetings with key funders/stakeholders to agree the scope and level of new post/s required to provide coordinating function for this work and establishment of a Steering Group to oversee progress towards a WSNP Sept / Oct 2011 Confirm budget and project plan with partners and recruit Wiltshire and Swindon NP Manager Oct / Nov 2011 Establish list of parties interested in LNP membership from existing Biodiversity Groupings and Wiltshire and Swindon Environmental Groupings as well as broader membership needs including Local Enterprise Partnerships and community groups Identify and establish communication links with emerging LNPs locally and/or cross-boundary and those in adjacent/cross boundary political administrations Preparation for First LNP Development Workshop November 2011 First LNP Development Workshop: Agree LNP boundary and discuss vision, aims, objectives, membership, Terms of Reference, governance arrangements, reporting structures and links into Wiltshire and Swindon family of partnerships and key policy frameworks Consider steps needed to produce a Wiltshire and Swindon LNP Three Year Strategic Plan Consider appropriate/relevant range of place based, technical, and thematic delivery groups needed Discuss medium term (3-5 years) sustainable funding for this work Consider establishing website, promotional materials (if agreed this work ongoing to March 2011) November/December Write up and circulate documentation on issues discussed at First 2011 LNP Development Workshop Preparation for Second LNP Development Workshop January/February 2012 Second LNP Development Workshop: Confirmation of LNP boundary, vision, aims, objectives, membership, Terms of Reference, governance arrangements and reporting structures Progress Wiltshire and Swindon LNP Three Year Strategic Plan Consider steps needed to produce an outcome focused Environment delivery plan/framework outlining contribution of partners and mechanisms for engaging all stakeholders and including methods for monitoring and evaluating success/progress towards achieving the vision/plan Consider data needs for the LNP including identifying data gaps, plans to resource the collection of these and analysis and interpretation work going forward Consider the future content of the State of the Environment Report and possible ecosystem assessment for Wiltshire and Swindon Produce outline resource management plan for future funding of LNP, which lists resource contributions from members and others March 2012 Wiltshire and Swindon LNP Three Year Strategic Plan written, published, uploaded to website, disseminated and publicised March 2012 Launch event for the new Wiltshire and Swindon NP Significant progress in producing Environment delivery plan/framework Confirmation of resource management plan, including confirmation of future financing and retention Wiltshire and Swindon NP Manager post 6. As a partnership, how do you plan to become self-sustaining? (500 words) The key funders of the existing Biodiversity Partnerships have indicated a willingness to fund LNP coordination because of the strategic value of this work in terms of helping deliver their own policy agendas. We are conscious though that funding for the work of the Biodiversity Partnerships was precarious at times with no medium term certainty about funding. The issue of funding will therefore be discussed at a very early stage with a view to agreeing a resource management plan. 7. How will you evaluate the work? (500 words) The work to be undertaken to March 2012 will be evaluated against the milestones outlined in Question 5, with the key deliverables being the establishment of the LNP and the development, publication and dissemination of the Wiltshire and Swindon LNP Three Year Strategic Plan and potentially a website. Beyond April 2012, the Environment delivery plan/framework will be evaluated against the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and with clear timeframes) targets it will contain. The plan will be a living document, with progress against actions reported by members to the Wiltshire and Swindon NP Manager who will be responsible for maintaining an updated version of the Plan. The Plan will be underpinned by the Wiltshire and Swindon State of the Environment Report. Alongside the annual publication of the State of the Environment report will be a report on progress in achieving the