Issue - meetings

Shared Prosperity Fund

Meeting: 05/07/2022 - Executive (Item 68)

68 UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Exeter Allocation pdf icon PDF 515 KB

To consider the report of the Director Net Zero Exeter & City Management.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed:

 

RECOMMENDED that Council approve:-

 

(1)  officers developing an investment plan to deliver the aims of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), to release Exeter’s UKSPF allocation of £1,403,000;

(2)  delegated authority to be granted to Exeter City Council’s internal UKSPF Management group for the approval of the investment plan;

(3)  the appointment of a Project Manager to support the management and monitoring of the Exeter UKSPF following the receipt of the offer letter from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC); and

(4)  the earmarked £20,000 administration payment for developing Exeter’s investment plan and consultation process, with any surplus used for project administration.

 

 

RESOLVED that the Executive note that:-

 

(1)  in order to meet the UKSPF requirements, consultation on Exeter interventions would take place with a number of organisations with an interest in the delivery of UKSPF in Exeter, and the Liveable Exeter Place Board; and

 

(2)  to ensure the effective management and monitoring of the UKSPF, an internal officer working group (UKSPF Working Group) be established, which will provide regular update reports to the Strategic Scrutiny Committee.

 

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Executive received the report which provided an overview of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), and how the Council could use and manage Exeter’s allocation.

 

The Service Lead Net Zeroand Business spoke abouther presentation which is attached to the minutes setting out the detail under the following headings:-

 

·         Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) Aims;

·         Communities and Place City Challenges;

·         Communities and Place Ideas;

·         Supporting Local Business City Challenges

·         Supporting Local Business Ideas;

·         People and Skills City Challenges; and

·         People and Skills Ideas.

 

The Service Lead Net Zero andBusiness highlighted the following:-

 

·         shared prosperity was a central pillar of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda;

·         SPF replaced previous European funding, one such funding being the Water Lane Smart Grid and Solar Project led by the City Council;

·         the Department for Levelling Up and Communities was leading on SPF and the City Council wasnow working on its investment plan with £20,000 allocated for this purpose;

·         Exeter allocation was £1,403,000 for three years, the annual breakdown, being £170,373 for this financial year, £340,747 for 2023/24 and £892,757 for 2024/25;

·         4% of SPF at £56,120 was allocated to project administration and management, to include the appointment of a Temporary Project Manager;

·         to access the allocation, the investment plan would need to be submitted by 1 August 2022. It was a high level document, highlighting city challenges and would be signed off by the Leader, Chief Executive and the Section 151 Officer;

·         as the value of interventions proposed was over the allocation of £1.4million each intervention would need an application which would be assessed against the aims and objectives of SPF, deliverability, value for money and the Exeter Vision;

·         consultation with the business community on city challenges was a key element and three online sessions had been held focussing on the investment priorities of SPF, being communities and place, business support and people and skills. The Liveable Exeter Place Board had been chosen as the Local Partnership Group to consult with to gain local insight of city challenges and to gain consensus of the Investment Plan;

·         copy would be prepared for the City Council website, so that any business or organisation can submit a project concept form for funding through SPF; and

·         regular updates would be provided to the Strategic Scrutiny Committee to monitor progress.

 

The Service Lead Net Zero andBusiness further advised of the intention to establish a SPF working group for oversight and monitoring. City Council officers would serve on the working group and both Exeter Chamber and InExeter had been contacted as two organisations to represent a number of businesses across the city, to sit on the working group.

 

Councillor Wood, as Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, welcomed the report, emphasising the goal of building pride in place and increasing life chances. Although availability of funds was finite, it would be important to ensure value for money as well as seeking to focus on the Council’s Net Zero 2030 ambitions to reduce carbon emissions and increase bio-diversity.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68