Bristol City Leap Wins World Economic Forum Award for Public-Private Collaboration

Last week, the Global Partnership for Local Investment announced the winner of their 2024 Award of Distinction for Public-Private Collaboration in Cities, awarded to the Bristol City Leap Project.

An initiative led by the World Economic Forum and UN-Habitat, the Global Partnership for Local Investment is designed to uplift collaborations between public and private entities which unlock important investment in local communities. Their objective rests on a three-pillared purpose to mobilise the international community, scale tried-and-tested models, and facilitate a global track record of success.

Thus, it is an incredible honour for the Bristol City Leap project, which was co-founded by Marvin Rees, Board Advisor, Craig Cheney, Managing Partner – Public Sector & Education, and David White, Associate, to fulfil these aims, to be recognised with this prestigious award. Read below to learn more about the Bristol City Leap Project and why it earned this achievement.

Leaps and Bounds

The Bristol City Leap project is a world-first partnership between Bristol City Council and Ameresco UK, securing a £1bn investment from Vattenfall, begun during Marvin Rees’ and Craig Cheney’s tenures as Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively. This partnership was designed to maximise sustainable investment in the city in order to accelerate its progress toward decarbonisation and net-zero.

The primary outcomes of this project are:

• Transport: An investment of £18m in the city’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network within the first five years.

• Infrastructure: In Council Operation Buildings, the project plans for £2.5m of improvements to Building Management Systems, energy-efficient chillers, and LED lighting, with a further £10m of projects in advanced development to begin within the year. Across Social Housing, £57m will be set aside by 2029, including £16m for refurbishing nine blocks of flats and a £7.8m window replacement program to improve energy efficiency.

• Education: Reducing the carbon footprint of schools in the city through the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and air-source heat pumps.

• Renewable Development: An investment of £83m for large-scale renewable development, mostly on council-owned land, as well as an expansion of the city’s heat network by Vattenfall, which will supply low-carbon heat to 12,000 homes over the next five years.

Altogether, this impressive portfolio of programmes and renovations is projected to install 182 MW of clean, renewable energy while reducing roughly 140,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. 

Cross-Sector Collaboration

The Bristol City Leap Project has been given the Award of Distinction for Public-Private Collaboration in Cities for the way it prioritises the public conscience through support from private entities.

Spanning the next twenty years, the Project is estimated to benefit the local economy by roughly £61.5m in social value, £55m in contracts with the supply chain, and over 1,000 local jobs, work placements, and apprenticeships. Further to this, it has established a Community Energy Fund valued at £1.5m and will deliver £4m worth of energy efficiency measures for the city’s vulnerable households.

Through engagement with the private sector, these initiatives are expected to be funded by £1Bn in investments, with at least £424m already committed by 2027.

For more information on the Bristol City Leap project, visit their website here.

To learn more about Craig Cheney’s career and how he can support you to navigate between the public and private sector, contact him here.