We are now organising a programme of workshops in June:
14th June 2022 – USKPF Overview: This will provide an overview of the fund and our approach in developing an Investment Plan
21st June 2022 – Communities & Place
22nd June 2022 – Supporting Local Business
23rd June 2022 – People and Skills
Dates, Times and to book to attend the workshops, please complete the registration form on the following website: UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) (leicester.gov.uk)
We want those attending the workshops to come away with a strong understanding of the UKSPF process, it’s’ criteria and the commissioning timetable we will be working to in Leicester.
And as the commissioning body we want these workshops to provide us with the evidence and insight about what our city, citizens, communities and businesses need so we can present to central govt a robust and compliant UKSPF investment plan for the city by the end of July.
This Investment Plan will provide local organisations with a clear, evidenced set of priorities that the UKSPF will be expected to achieve in Leicester and a timetable against when we will spend the fund to achieve them.
This in turn will allow you or your organisation to develop ideas into project proposals. Unlike the Community Renewal Fund process of last year, there will not be a mad scramble to piece together detailed project plans in a few weeks.
Leicester City Council will not, and nor are we expected to, submit a list of funded projects this summer. Consequently these workshops are not opportunities to pitch ideas but to share your experience and insight so we can arrive at the right priorities for Leicester’s UKSPF Investment Plan.
However we do feel it is right at this stage to manage expectations. The £9m UKSPF grant we have been allocated
- does not come close to covering existing EU funded projects
- is being asked to deliver against a broader range of outcomes, and
- has replaced a city/county geography with a city/7 district model which makes pooling resources harder to do – especially in areas covering business and skills support
Essentially we are being asked to do more with less and in a more fractured funding environment. This is isn’t to say the funding doesn’t represent a significant opportunity but it is important that this context is understood not just for the workshops we will host but in mapping out your own organisations’ funding plans between now and 2024/25.