Capital grants of up to £25,000 are now available to local businesses for measures that help their staff travel more sustainably to, from and whilst at work.
The grants form part of the Plymouth City Council’s Productive Plymouth Programme for sustainable transport measures.
The Workplace Travel Grants Scheme is making £750,000 available to local businesses to boost productivity through investing in infrastructure that helps employees travel sustainably.
The kind of measures that could receive funding include:
- Providing secure cycle parking
- Introducing pool bikes
- Installing workplace shower facilities
- Establishing electric vehicle charging points
But the bids aren’t limited to these areas and the Council is open to innovative proposals that specifically reflect how the business operates. The Council can contribute a maximum of 75 per cent of the scheme costs.
Travelling sustainably means meeting business needs whilst being mindful of the impact on the environment. A sustainable approach has many local benefits including reduced traffic congestion, improved air quality and healthier lifestyles.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said; “Although a greater number of us are working from home, the workplace travel grants come at a crucial time in Plymouth’s recovery when we are all collectively establishing new ways of working, and we want to provide the practical and financial help to get businesses moving again.
“The Council have provided workplace travel grants in the past, through the Plymotion programme, and we were really impressed with the innovative proposals that businesses presented.
“We know that businesses are best placed to know what transport issues they face, and we’re pleased that we can work with them to overcome these challenges. This will not only help boost local business, but also helps the Council reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.”
Successful applicants will be supported by the Council’s Plymotion at Your Workplace personalised travel planning team to help them get the maximum impact from the grant.
Applications from businesses are now open and full details are available here. The closing date for applications for the 2020/21 programme is Friday 15 January 2021 and all schemes funded this year must be delivered by mid-March.
The Workplace Travel Grants are one of 16 schemes comprising 29 individual projects which form part of Productive Plymouth – an integrated programme of sustainable transport measures funded by the Transforming Cities Fund. The Council has secured a total of £58.8 million to support projects which are designed to boost the city region’s productivity and includes transformative infrastructure, innovative technology and effective behaviour change. The total programme will invest just over £96 million by the end of 2023, create over 1,100 jobs, and support the City Council’s climate emergency ambitions. For full details visit here: