Hart District Council has been awarded funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Housing’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UK SPF) which aims to support local areas to improve pride in place, connect communities, and increase life chances and opportunities particularly for those experiencing inequalities. UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Two of Hart’s local priorities for the Fund are:
- Community Hubs – £600,000 available to support the development and enhancement of local spaces where communities can come together to connect and access activities and support
- Young Person's employment and skills support – £130,000 available to help increase access to a range of education, skills and training opportunities, particularly for young people experiencing additional barriers
By community hubs, we mean community spaces which are accessible to the community and provide or host a range of activities and services that the community wants and needs. For example, projects could focus on improving the facilities or accessibility of a community space, enhancing the range of activities and services available or the number and diversity of people accessing a space, or increasing the sustainability of a space.
For the commitment to Young Person’s employment and skills support, we are looking to provide more opportunities and resources to support Hart’s young people to prepare to enter the workplace, as well as develop key life skills.
We are looking for organisations across the district who would benefit from funding to help them work towards goals in these areas. We are particularly interested in projects that are also socially inclusive, accessible and will support communities most in need.
We are currently undertaking a data analysis exercise which aims to better understand the areas across the district that have the greatest inequalities in areas such as health, deprivation and social and economic wellbeing etc.
We are now inviting organisations to submit an Expression of Interest for projects which support one or both of the local priorities.
If you feel we could consider your project, we would love to hear from you. The team are available to chat through the UK SPF project and timelines before your submission. You can contact us by email ukspf@hart.gov.uk. To submit an Expression of Interest, please complete this Expression of Interest webform.
Submit an Expression of Interest
We will review all Expressions of Interest to check that:
- The applicant has confirmed their project is deliverable within the UK SPF timetable
- The proposed project fits with the remit and aims of the UK SPF and supports one or both of Hart’s priorities
- It is clear how the proposed project will lead to the stated advantages to the community
- The EOI is from an appropriately constituted organisation with a bank account in the name of the organisation
- The EOI is asking for funding for things which are fundable under UK SPF (e.g. not asking for funding for maintenance or decoration, not for religious activities)
We will also look at the potential value the project will create for the community, or for young people in the case of priority 2.
Please note: Any projects that may require planning permission must have had planning permission fully approved with all pre-commencement conditions discharged by December 2023.
If your proposed project involves work on a building, you need to either:
- own the land or building, or
- have a lease that cannot be ended for five years and have an official letter from the owner or landlord that says you're allowed to do work on the building
We cannot fund:
- private sector companies or activities that make profits for private gain
- VAT you can reclaim
- maintenance or decoration of community spaces (however, we can fund upgrades to buildings such as those which enhance facilities, accessibility, sustainability or enable more or different people to use the space)
- religious activities (we can fund faith-based organisations if their project benefits the wider community and the focus is not religious content)
Deadlines
Submission of Expression of Interest: 31 October 2023.
Submission of Completed Project Proposal: 30 November 2023
Timetable
Submitting an Expression of Interest
Dates: Complete Expression of Interest form by 31 October 2023
Expressions of Interest documents will be released after 15 September 2023.
Submit an expression of interest
Submitting the project proposal
Date: 1-30 November 2023
The scoring criteria we will be using to grade projects will be published on 1 November 2023.
Organisational approval of works/project
Dates: End November 2023
Organisations must have had approval through their local governance for the project or works by the end of November 2023 to be considered by the Council for possible funding.
Implementation of works/project
The organisation is responsible for implementing the work for the proposed project.
Project proposal submission
Date: End November 2023
A comprehensive project plan including justifications and supporting data must be submitted to enable the Council decision-making process. Estimated costs must be included. You can provide formal quotes if this is possible at this stage. A form and grant agreement will be provided.
Costings and quotes
Date: TBC
Evidence of costs must be provided with the project proposal.
For reference, procurement must adhere to the UK SPF procurement guidance: www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-procurement-8
Depending on the project, screen shots of costings will be accepted (please check with the project team beforehand). Any quotations must consider that funds won't be available until 1 April, therefore quotes must be valid up to time. You should consider inflation and contingency.
Benchmarking
Date: Before project starts
Assuming the project is approved, data showing (for example) current usage of the space or participation in activities is required before work is started. Standardised documents for this reporting will be provided and data collection will be the responsibility of the individual organisations.
All payments made and receipts submitted to Hart District Council
Date: End January 2025
Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Housing regulations stipulate that all monies must have left the successful organisation's account and receipts submitted to the Council as proof of works completed.
Evaluation
Date: One to two months after project completion at latest, 14 February 2025
Data to show the improvement in service is required to demonstrate the value of the project. Standardised documents will be provided for reporting and will be a direct comparison of the original benchmarking data.
We will endeavour to notify organisations of our decision as soon as possible in February 2024. Funding cannot be released until 1 April 2024.