£500,00 'Green Business Fund' proposed to help Milton Keynes recover from Covid-19

The move comes as part of the council's £2.25m investment to help MK businesses recover from the impact of Covid.

The fund is open to MK businesses as well as business and community groups, who must demonstrate how they can create more sustainable jobs and growth.

Ideally, green business practices should support the council’s ambition for MK to become carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon negative by 2050.

Submissions should show how they go beyond helping individual firms but also help MK become a greener and cleaner city. The council is particularly interested in receiving community-based bids that benefit areas earmarked for estate renewal and regeneration, as well as help for SMEs and green start-ups, green economy supply chains and skills development to support green technology.

Organisations have until 30 October to share their proposals. Further information about how to submit bids can be found on the Council’s Green Business Recovery page.

Cabinet Member for Economy and Culture, Councillor Carole Baume said: “We want the Green Business Recovery Fund to be a genuine boost for sustainable schemes and behaviour. Covid-19 has put unprecedented financial pressure on our local economy, and this is an opportunity to help businesses recover – and do so responsibly.

“I hope we receive a good mix of large and small schemes, including proposals that benefit some of our more vulnerable communities.”

MK Council is already taking steps to encourage sustainable growth, including an investment of £50m to improve the energy efficiency of council homes, and creating a local energy centre as part of the regeneration proposals in the Lakes Estate.

A separate scheme has been established for green transport initiatives.