Issue - meetings

To agree the approach to completion of the Council’s Investment Plan submission for its allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and to authorise a delegation to the Portfolio Holder for Business & Economic Growth to approve the final Plan ahead of the 1 August 2022 deadline.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)    approves the approach to the development of the UK Shared Prosperity Investment Plan for Tendring District, as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report, to spend the Government’s conditional allocation of £1,188,232; and

(b)    authorises the Portfolio Holder for Business and Economic Growth to approve the final plan for submission to the Government ahead of the deadline of 1 August 2022.

Cabinet considered a detailed report of the Business & Economic Growth Portfolio Holder (A.4) which sought –

(1)    its agreement to the approach to completion of the Council’s Investment Plan submission for its allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and

(2)    a delegation to the Portfolio Holder for Business & Economic Growth to approve the final plan ahead of the 1 August 2022 deadline. 

Members were aware that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was part of the Government’s levelling up agenda. This new Fund had replaced European Structural Funds. It provided a total of £2.6 billion of new, mainly revenue, funding for local investment by March 2025. All areas of the UK would receive a conditional allocation from the Fund via a funding formula, rather than a competition. 

It was reported that the primary goal of the UKSPF was to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. Within this goal there were three UKSPF investment priorities:

·      communities and place;

·      supporting local business; and

·      people and skills.

Cabinet was informed that the District of Tendring had been allocated a total of £1,188,232 via a funding formula designed to be a real-terms match for previous EU structural funds, to be spent over a three year period to 2025. Funding in support of the ‘people and skills’ investment priority could only be accessed in the 2024/25 financial year.

Members were made aware that Tendring District Council (TDC) was the lead local authority for UKSPF in the District of Tendring. Lead local authorities received the area’s allocation of funding to manage, including assessing and approving applications, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring.

In order to access the allocation, TDC was required to produce an Investment Proposal for Government signoff, which prioritised interventions and detailed the measurable outcomes of project delivery. The investment plan would be based around Government intervention types, with measureable outcomes.

Cabinet was advised that partnership working between local authorities and with local partners was strongly encouraged. In line with the funding guidance, a local partnership meeting had been convened by the Council as the lead local authority to engage on the Investment Plan. The Council had also participated in three workshops convened by Essex Chief Executives that had brought together councils across greater Essex to share learning on the development of their investment plans, and had engaged with the North Essex Economic Board on the development of the interventions, in particular for business support.  In addition to district partners, the Council had engaged with health partners, the County Council, the University of Essex and current recipients of the pre-cursor to this fund, the Community Renewal Fund, to engage on plan development and to test project ideas.

It was reported that the core focus of the plan was the “interventions” that the Council planned to fund under the three themes, also referred to as the UKSPF investment priorities. The Government had developed 41 potential interventions. The longer the final list of interventions, the less funding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39