So what do these projects even mean?

Apparently the York Council is going ahead with a plan to bid for nearly £2 million of public funding, despite being told that the area does not qualify for the “Community Renewal Fund”.

York wasn’t on the list of 100 towns and City’s given priority for use of the fund.

Nevertheless, the Council has gone ahead and drawn up a list of schemes that might have benefited. “Partners” were asked to put forward their proposals.

Nine projects were subsequently selected.

There has been no public consultation on the proposals. This has now been exacerbated by a failure (in the Council report to a meeting next week) to provide any explanation of what the projects are intended to achieve.

The single line descriptions are a totally opaque.

We’re pretty sure though, that the “Bosch startup harbour programme” has little to do with ships and water!

Council seeks innovative proposals to support local businesses and communities

Image result for build something new gifsThe City of York Council is seeking bids from organisations wishing to access funding from the £220m UK Community Renewal Fund.

City of York Council has been chosen by the Government as the lead authority for the York area and is inviting bids which will support communities, local businesses, create new jobs and support people into employment.

As a lead authority, the council is responsible for receiving bids, selecting the bids that will be sent to the Government for consideration and paying grants to successful projects as well as managing their performance.

The fund has been designed to help support local areas to pilot innovative new approaches and programmes that unleash their potential

Projects proposals are encouraged from all areas of York and should align with local priorities. Proposals should also align with the programme themes:

  • investment in skills – work based training; retraining, upskilling or reskilling; digital skills and inclusion
  • investment for local business – support for new job opportunities; innovation potential; supporting decarbonisation measures
  • investment in communities and place – feasibility for net zero and energy; promoting culture led regeneration and community development; improving green spaces and preserving local assets; promoting rural connectivity
  • supporting people into employment – engagement with local services; addressing barriers to gaining employment; developing basic skills; testing what works in helping people into work

The Government has introduced the fund as it prepares for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, which will replace EU Structural and Investment Funds.

Successful Community Renewal Fund bids will be for 2021-22 only and projects must be completed by the end of March 2022.

Applicants should note that York is not classed as one of the Government’s 100 ‘priority places’ across the UK. As such, The City of York Council is particularly interested in project proposals that are ambitious, offering fresh ideas.

The deadline for submitting applications is 16 May. The City of York Council will then produce a shortlist of projects for submission to the Government.

The UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus provides more information on the fund, including assessment criteria.

Further information can be found here.

Councillor Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning said: