Climate Action Hubs programme: evaluation

7. Recommendations

The evaluation of the Climate Action Hubs programme has identified a series of recommendations for the future of the programme.

Recommendation 1: The Scottish Government should explore opportunities to adapt the programme’s funding model in collaboration with relevant decision makers. The aim would be to provide greater stability for Hubs over the medium term. This could involve:

• working with central government finance and policy colleagues to explore the feasibility of longer term (e.g. 3–5 year) funding arrangements, recognising the strategic value of stability for community-led climate action.
• seeking opportunities to advocate for earlier, ‘in principle’ confirmation of funding to reduce organisational uncertainty and minimise risks such as redundancies.

Recommendation 2: The Scottish Government should consider appointing an intermediary between the Climate Action Hubs and central government team to:

• explore opportunities for network-wide collaboration, development and peer‑to‑peer learning.
• advocate on behalf of the Hub network, communicating shared reflections and feedback at a network level.
• create and manage a centralised funding information service offering alerts, briefings, templates and bid writing support for additional external funding opportunities.

Recommendation 3: The Scottish Government should consider developing a monitoring, evaluation and learning toolkit that supports consistent reporting across Hubs. This could involve:

• developing a streamlined monitoring, evaluation and learning framework which reduces the time and resources required for reporting.
• introducing shared CRM^[11] systems, dashboards and associated training to align data management processes.
• introducing a small national monitoring, evaluation and learning support function to assist Hubs with data collection and reporting.

Recommendation 4: The Scottish Government should consider strengthening shared identity across the network and taking steps to increase public awareness of the Climate Action Hubs. This may include:

• establishing a small national coordination unit to facilitate shared branding and communications.
• developing a national public awareness campaign with scope for local adaptation.
• offering Hubs shared communications templates, accessible materials and design support.
• promoting Hub success stories to normalise and celebrate community‑led climate action.

Recommendation 5: The Scottish Government should consider providing targeted support to ensure Hubs can maximise meaningful and consistent engagement with underrepresented groups. This could include:

• introducing ring fenced inclusion funding for travel, childcare, translation and accessible materials.
• facilitating and supporting partnerships with local and national equalities organisations to strengthen outreach.
• offering annual training in specialisms such as anti-racism, trauma informed practice and disability inclusion.

Recommendation 6: The Scottish Government should consider formalising the role of Hubs within local and national policy making processes. This could include:

• positioning Hubs as formal partners in local climate plans, place plans, and adaptation plans.

• providing supports and connections to strengthen links between Hubs and local authorities.

Recommendation 7: The Scottish Government should consider providing clearer strategic direction for the programme, while preserving the flexibility that Hubs value. This could involve:

• setting out non‑prescriptive strategic guidance describing what good practice looks like.
• defining a concise set of core principles while allowing Hubs to determine delivery approaches.
• developing optional national thematic activity frameworks (e.g. energy, biodiversity, food)