Through MP Seconded Solutions, my secondment at Business Improvement District (BID), Better Bankside, has given me the opportunity to use the knowledge and experience I have gained in the sustainability sector.
I am working directly with the Better Bankside team on their Southwark Climate Collective, a sustainability programme providing free training and one-to-one consultancy support to SMEs. It is financed by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The Southwark Climate Collective is led by Better Bankside Director, Gideon Taylor.
Looking to the future, the BID’s goal is to develop an effective and scalable programme of support to SMEs wanting to become more sustainable and grow their business. Examples of how they can achieve this include ensuring their supply chains are environmentally sound, reviewing how their staff gets to work, the energy efficiency of their buildings and how they conduct their day-to-day business.
How my secondment role makes the project more effective and time efficient
I am co-project manager/project support for Better Bankside’s Southwark Climate Collective for two days a week alongside the BID’s Sustainability Manager Eleanor Holmes. I support the work that Better Bankside is doing with a range of Southwark businesses as diverse as Southwark Cathedral, Mercator Digital and Morley College. They all want to become more sustainable, but they all have very different business models, challenges, and stakeholders to engage with.
My role is to provide the resource that allows the specialist consultants commissioned onto the project to spend 100% of their project time on developing action plans with the businesses. I take away the need for them to get involved in the project management.
Sam is providing valuable support to Better Bankside to ensure there is a robust and trusted approach to engaging with SMEs. That first contact with a business is critical and Sam is proving invaluable to the programme and ensuring Better Bankside is seen as a trusted partner. I’m also delighted that we can get this resource from a local Bankside supplier – MP Smarter Travel.
Director of Better Bankside, Gideon Taylor
Engaging with SMEs
I also spend some of my secondment time getting out and about, speaking to SMEs and encouraging them to take up the offer of support from Better Bankside. I’ve been able to quickly understand the project and help with onboarding new SMEs to the programme.
Data collection for the funder
Collecting data and analysis from the programme is vital to making sure we are able to report back to UKSPF (GLA) on a quarterly basis. I ensure the SMEs comply with the requirement for data that will ultimately help steer future iterations of the project.