4th August 2021: The way in which the government is allocating funds for its flagship ‘Levelling Up’ programme is failing to properly recognise the needs of rural communities – according to new research published today by the Rural Services Network.
The report, Towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, finds that prioritisation of the Levelling Up Fund has favoured non-metropolitan urban locations, especially in northern England’s ‘Red Wall’, while many other areas of similar need are overlooked.
Large swathes of rural central and southern England, (and indeed northern rural areas) including those that received funds through previous EU-backed programmes, are now seen as a low priority.
Only 18 rural districts were placed on the government’s priority list of 123 local authorities for its Levelling Up Fund. This independent research shows that the number should have been as high as 27 if low standards of living in rural communities were properly accounted for.
The report’s authors, economists and researchers from Pragmatix Advisory, argue:
“The Levelling Up Fund is the latest in a line of UK government-funded programmes to disadvantage rural communities – partly the result of Whitehall’s choice of data on which they make their selections.
“Although detailed, the government’s complex algorithms for allocating funds remain partial, judgemental and, too often, confused.
“The Levelling Up Fund prioritisation framework, for example, considers the number of empty commercial properties, but does not account for the quality of schools. It looks at physical connectivity but does not take into account digital connectivity like broadband speeds or availability.”
West Berkshire residents are being invited to sign up for the autumn West Berkshire Collective Energy Switch and save on their energy bills.
The scheme runs in partnership with iChoosr. The Big Community Switch offers a no obligation collective energy switching scheme which gives people the opportunity to group together and pay less for their energy. Electric or dual fuel can be switched.
Approximately 12,400 households in West-Berkshire have registered for the scheme since it started, saving in total £701,745 and additionally enabling them access to renewable energy. Switchers in the last auction saved 112 tonnes of CO2 by switching to renewable energy.
A reverse auction will be held on Tuesday 12th October where energy suppliers will compete with their best offers. From Monday 25th October, participants will receive their personalised offer for consideration.
Sign up online at https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communityswitch or if you don’t have internet access by calling 0800 048 8439. You’ll need to have your latest energy bill to hand, as details will be requested in the registration process.
PACT is an adoption charity and family support provider which helps hundreds of families every year through outstanding adoption services and award-winning therapeutic support and inspirational community projects across London and the south of England.
Join this exciting step challenge and support PACT (Parents And Children Together) who through the Alana House projects supports 100’s of women from the Thames Valley who are facing multiple disadvantages.
About the challenge
The challenge is simple: choose a goal, donate or fundraise for Alana House and get stepping! You can do your steps any time through the month of September and any way you like, including walking around the house, doing the shopping, a morning run or a weekend walk.
To start the challenge, you will need to decide on your step target. There are three step options or you can choose your own amount:
Quick-stepper: 150,000 steps – that’s roughly 5,000 steps a day or around 15 miles a week. Trail-blazer: 300,000 steps – that’s roughly 10,000 steps a day or around 30 miles a week. Star-trekker: Half a million (500,000) steps – that’s roughly 16,600 steps a day or around 50 miles a week Or choose your own amount!
Participants can do their steps however suits them, when it suits them and people can do them either individually or get together as team.
Registration for STEPtember is free for everyone. The challenge exists to raise money for Alana House so we do ask that you either donate what you can when you sign up, or ask family and friends to sponsor you through the challenge. You can sign up in a team or on your own and everyone signing up will receive a welcome email and a step tracker. To find out more and sign up: https://pactcharity.enthuse.com/cf/steptember
In the autumn West Berkshire Council will be submitting a Bus Services Improvement Plan to the Department for Transport. This will outline how the Council, alongside bus operators with services in the district, can increase use of bus services.
They’d like to restore bus services to its pre-pandemic level and thereafter increase passenger numbers, reduce congestion, carbon and pollution, help the disadvantaged and reduce the number of cars on our roads.
In order to achieve this, West Berks Council have put together a survey asking for your views on local bus services in West Berkshire, and if you have any suggestions for possible improvements.
To take part, please read the consultation document and then complete the online survey by midnight on Friday 30 August 2021. The more responses they have to the survey, the better the Bus Services Improvement Plan will be for local residents, businesses and the economy.
Community Ownership Fund:prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). There will be 8 bidding rounds, with Round 1 submissions needing to be submitted by the 13th August 2021. Matched funded bids can be up to £250,000 or £1 million for Sports projects.
The strategic objectives of the bid are to:
provide targeted investment for communities to save community assets that would otherwise be lost
strengthen capacity and capability in communities to support them to shape their places and develop sustainable community businesses
empower communities in left behind places to level up
strengthen direct links between places across the UK and the UK government
Full details on the link as above.
Voluntary and community organisations can bid for match funding.
Funding may support the purchase and/or renovation costs of community assets and amenities, subject to the full eligibility criteria outlined in this prospectus.
The fund will support a range of community ownership proposals. For example, projects may include:
sporting and leisure facilities cinemas and theatres music venues museums galleries parks pubs post office buildings shops
Proposals will need to prove the value of the asset to local people and that the asset can run sustainably for the long-term benefit of the community.
This prospectus sets out information on the:
funding available how to apply eligibility assessment criteria
Local Connection Fund – The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund is investing £2 million into this second round of the Local Connection Fund. This will be used to fund hundreds of ‘microgrants’ between £300 and £2,500, so small, local organisations (with an annual income of £50,000 or less) can bring people and communities together.
The funding is aimed at bringing people together in safe and secure ways, making people aware of what services are available to reduce loneliness and to build lasting connections.
The closing date for applications is 20 August 2021.
The Audience Agency is looking for 10 to 15 action research projects for an exciting new opportunity funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Digital Skills for Heritage. It is offering funding and support for projects, that use digital technology in some way to engage communities with archiving or archive collections.
Each successful project will receive:
A £1,000 to £5,000 grant to support a new activity or piece of work that uses digital technology to engage communities with archives or archiving.
Training and development to help get your idea off the ground and support to evaluate the outcomes of your project.
A mentor who will offer one-to-one guidance, expertise and support through individually tailored sessions.
The Co-op Community Fridge fund will support 100 groups all across the UK to establish a new Community Fridge project.
This opportunity includes £4,000 funding to help cover project costs, along with full support, guidance and resources from Hubbub to help successfully establish your fridge.
Once set up, groups will be part of the 250 member strong Community Fridge Network which helps redistribute surplus food from businesses and households within the community, saving it from going to waste and bringing people together. Anyone and everyone can share and gift from a Community Fridge.
The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).
The following types or organisation can apply:
Registered Charity which operates a community facility
A Church or Parochial Church Council
A Parish or Town Council or a Management Committee or User Association acting on behalf of a Parish or Town Council
A Local Authority
A CASC Registered Sports Club
Only applications for projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility can be accepted, you can check if you are located near an eligible site on their website.
The current round of applications closes on 1 September 2021.
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust was set up in 1998, to promote and support charities in the United Kingdom working in agriculture, rural development and insurance.
The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.
The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November.
Applications for the November meeting must be submitted by 29th October 2021.
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme – Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
The Government is providing up to £210m worth of voucher funding as immediate help for people suffering from slow broadband speeds in rural areas.
Vouchers worth up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses help to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband to people’s doorsteps.
The new UK Gigabit Voucher launched in April 2021 and is only available through a supplier who is registered with the scheme.
You can check whether your premises is eligible for a voucher, find a list of registered suppliers, and see those who are active in your area on the website below. Please click here for further information: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/
Charity & community project grants – People’s Postcode Lottery
The aim of the organisations listed below is to support smaller charities and good causes in different parts of the country to make a difference to their community for the benefit of people and planet.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have funded good causes in every postcode area in Britain.
Funding rounds are held throughout the year. Click on each of the above links to see which might be applicable to your organisation.
Return to Play Fund – Sport England
There are two parts to this new fund which remain open.
Return to Play: Small Grants – makes awards of between £300 and £10,000, from a total pot of £10m, to help sport and activity groups, clubs and organisations respond to the immediate challenges of returning to play in a coronavirus-safe way. Following national restrictions in November, it also offers up to £2,000 awards towards the running costs of organisations supporting the most deprived communities. The Fund will remain open until the end of 2021.
Return to Play: Active Together – is a crowdfunding initiative that can match fund, up to £10,000, successful Crowdfunder campaigns from a pot of £1.5m. The partnership with Crowdfunder also includes advice, guidance and training to help create a successful campaign.
You can apply for three types of grant funding if you are preparing a Neighbourhood Plan:
Basic Grant Funding: All groups undertaking a neighbourhood plan are eligible to apply for up to £10,000 in basic grant. As well as applying for a basic grant, you can also apply for technical support (provided you meet the eligibility criteria) to help you with your neighbourhood plan.
Additional Grant Funding: Groups meeting the eligibility criteria are able to apply for additional grant of up to £8,000 (in addition to the basic grant). This will take the total amount of grant available to you to £18,000.
Affordable Housing for Sale Grant Funding: This is a new element to the programme, and it is running as a pilot scheme. The pilot began in 2019-20 and will continue in 2020-21. If you are wishing to bring forward affordable housing for sale you may be eligible for further grant funding of up to £10,000 to help develop these ideas.
Deadline: 31 December 2021 Grants programme for UK charities and community groups, with BizGive offering grants of up to £1,000 to successful applicants, with in-kind goods also available on request and applications for digital volunteering also accepted. Further information can be found by clicking here.
The Grocers’ Charity
The Grocers’ Charity typically provides one-off grants up to £5,000 for U.K. registered charities working in the areas outlined below:
Relief of Poverty
The Elderly
Disability
Health
Military
Heritage and the Arts
Environment
Children and Young People
Application Process
Select the grant funding area above that you are interested in to check your eligibility and to send a short expression of interest.
One to three weeks after the deadline, you will receive an email letting you know if your initial application will proceed to the second stage.
If you move on to the second stage, you will be sent a link to fill in an online form; you will have one week to complete it. You will need to tell us: your most recent financial information; the Trustees and their professions; the anticipated outcomes and how the activity will be evaluated; a breakdown of the costs involved.
Next Deadline: 10th September 2021 (if invited, 2nd stage application decisions are in December)
Morrisons Foundation
Charities registered in the UK can apply for grants from the newly established Morrison’s Foundation. The Foundation is looking to award approximately £2 million a year for charity projects which make a positive difference in local communities; in the main grants are available to fully fund projects of up to £25,000.
There is no specific grant amount that can be applied for but applicants must demonstrate how the project will deliver public benefit, who in the community will specifically benefit and how it will bring about positive change. Applicants must also have financial information dating back three years and have raised some of the funding elsewhere.
Tesco Community Grants is always open for applications from charities and community organisations to bid for up to £1,500. Three projects in 575 local communities are voted on by customers in Tesco stores throughout the UK, with projects changing every three months.
Grants will be awarded to voluntary or community organisations (including registered charities/companies), schools, health bodies (e.g. Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Hospital Trust, Foundation Trust), Parish/Town Councils, local authorities and social housing providers.
Sources; With thanks to ACRE, Rural Services Network, Voluntary Centre West Berkshire & Wokingham & Bracknell Involve for information contained in funding article.
Connecting Communities in Berkshire 