Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Acknowledged
The Bank told us that in developing the pilots, it wanted to try to understand...
Conclusion
The Bank told us that in developing the pilots, it wanted to try to understand and define problems that it thinks will be most common across the local authority landscape, such as financing heat networks, zero-emission buses and social housing retrofit projects. The Bank will then find the most capable local authorities already working on these problems and work with them to develop a proposition that it could then “replicate across other local authorities”.55 This approach has led the Bank to focus its three pilots on larger local authorities. We asked the Bank why it was not giving advice to smaller authorities. The Bank said it did not mean to suggest it was restricting access to the smaller authorities, but “the reality is that we do not and will not have the resource to cover them effectively”. It told us that it has started with larger authorities because it thinks it will learn lessons there quickest, and the challenge for the Bank would be “to figure out how to get that to the smaller authorities in a way that is usable and useful to them.”56
Government Response Summary
The government and the Bank welcome the Committee’s recommendation and will provide information later in Spring 2023 after completion of the pilot projects. The Bank will share insights from pilots and engagement with local authorities and is already engaged with a range of local authorities for its next wave of advisory work.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: Spring 2023 4.2 The Bank welcomes the Committee’s recommendation and would be pleased to provide the requested information later in Spring 2023 after completion of the pilot projects in Bristol, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire Combined Authority. These pilots play an important role in helping the Bank develop its offering for local authorities, a key part of the Bank’s remit, and ensures that its support is appropriately reflective of local authority needs. 4.3 The Bank will share the key insights developed through the pilots and its engagement with a range of local authorities to date. It is already engaged with a range of local authorities for its next wave of advisory work, to be announced shortly. Recognising that the needs of different size local authorities will vary, the Bank has carefully considered how it can deliver effectively across this spectrum. For instance, it already offers advisory support to smaller local authorities through its partnership with the Green Heat Network fund and plans to continue this model with future grant programmes. This will allow government to leverage investment in local infrastructure and ensure that projects are set up for success.