Urban Green Space: Policy and Fiscal Incentives Research and Economic Modelling

Introduction

Natural England, National Trust and National Lottery Heritage Fund are collaborating on a new initiative to inspire, incentivise and support UK towns and cities to take ambitious action to improve urban green space.

We believe access to high quality, nature-rich, connected green and natural infrastructure will drive significant benefits for people, place and climate. We want more urban areas to use nature recovery and nature-based solutions to tackle health inequalities and climate change, and to put nature at the heart of communities to grow their prosperity, connection and resilience.

This Commission

We are looking for a suitably experienced consultant to conduct research into potential fiscal and policy innovations that would unlock funding and incentivise urban local authorities, and their partners, to invest in the transformation of urban green space, accelerating the delivery of green infrastructure projects in cities and towns for the benefit of people, place and climate.

We would like to explore whether any existing or new policy and fiscal mechanisms or innovations could be used or developed to help fund and accelerate transformative upgrades to UK green infrastructure at scale and in particularly deliver for the Environment Improvement Plan and help to embed the Green Infrastructure Standards.

We wish to identify possible fiscal and policy changes at the UK, devolved nation, City-Region/Mayoral and Local Authority level and to understand how these might work as well as the advantages and disadvantages and the possible impact of any changes.

For any recommended options we would like to see a high-level economic model, which sets out the potential value of the changes as well as the impact on HMT or other key stakeholders and should align with Treasury green book.

Submission Process

The tender response should include details of the following:

1. Outline of your proposed approach to the research project including details of methodology and proposed outputs - including how you will manage this as a UK-wide, geographically dispersed project.
2. Description of your relevant experience and CV, including examples of at least two pieces of similar work you have carried out.
3. Proposed budget breakdown
4. Details of any matters or concerns not covered by this brief.

Proposals should not exceed 10 pages in length.

We recognise one individual or organisation may not feel able to deliver all strands of this evaluation and are therefore happy to accept applications from a group of individuals or partner organisations. We will want one of these individuals or organisations to be identified as the lead contact.

Please submit proposals by email before the deadline of 12:00 noon on 16th February 2024 to the following contact: anne.mackinnon@nationaltrust.org.uk