Agenda item

Presentation to be provided by the Senior Programme Manager – UK Shared Prosperity Fund / Rural Prosperity Fund (UKSPF/RPF).

Consideration was given to the presentation of the Assistant Director - Strategic Growth and Development and the Senior Programme Manager – UK Shared Prosperity Fund / Rural Prosperity Fund (UKSPF/RPF) which updated the Panel on the performance of the UKSPF/RPF Communities and Place theme in South Holland.

The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF introduced the presentation, to be appended to the minutes, which included the following areas:

• A recap of the UKSPF/RPF award for South Holland;
• UKSPF contract management principles;
• UKSPF grant finance model;
• UKSPF in South Holland financial summary;
• UKSPF contracted programme delivery;
• Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) GRASSroots – the delegated decision-making model for small and community grants;
• Lincolnshire Community Foundation – contractual performance and value for money to date;
• YMCA Lincolnshire – strategic objectives
• YMCA Lincolnshire – contractual performance and value for money;
• Case Study; and
• Next steps

The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development stated that:

• The decision by central government for UKSPF grants to be managed by district councils was a significant opportunity to demonstrate delivery against centrally required themes;
• The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development was the Senior Responsible Officer for the project with delivery charged to the Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF and his team;
• The guiding principle behind the establishment of the UKSPF team was to achieve excellence in how the funds were managed and dispersed and how impact was demonstrated; and
• Performance of the current programme would impact the ability of the council to attract further funding into the district from 2025.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members welcomed the update and stated that the content was encouraging.

• Members relayed feedback from an applicant regarding a partnership organisation which had been contracted to assist with the bid process.  A lack of support was encountered throughout the process including for a subsequent application to an initial unsuccessful bid.
  • The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF stated that;
    • The partnership organisation was required to contact an applicant subsequent to any unsuccessful bid. Contact would be made with the organisation regarding this matter; and
    • Should a lack of support from partnership organisations be experienced in the future, applicants were advised to contact the Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF directly.

• Members queried whether organisations could still apply for funds.
  • The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF stated that:
    • The LCF GRASSroots fund had been exhausted and therefore closed to new applicants;
    • Grants For Growth was still open and applications from businesses were encouraged;
    • 98 per cent of the wider SPF fund was already committed and availability therefore extremely limited however in-Programme underspends may lead to additional smaller awards where appropriate; and
    • The availability of successive funds would be subject to central government decisions.

• Members asked whether training was provided to councillors in order to assist with the provision of advice to businesses.
  • The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development responded that Grants for Growth applicants should be referred to the SHDC service area where support would be provided. Contacts shared through the member briefing newsletter would be recirculated. 

• Members commented that business grants paid in arrears acted as a deterrent for engagement where affordability was an issue.
  • The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF stated that ‘payment in arrears’ was standard practice and demand for business grants had been high with no deterrent being in evidence either in this Programme or the preceding ERDF-funded Programme. The risk of fraud was greatly mitigated by such an approach.

• Members requested that they be kept informed of the availability of future grant funding so that such information could be circulated at parish level.

AGREED:

That the UKSPF Performance Update be noted.