Issue - meetings

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.  Endorse the projects for submission to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for award of UKSPF for 2023/24 and 2024/25 as follows:

a)       Local Business Support

i)        £1,693,727 for sub-regional business support supporting three strands of “Launchpad” (start-up support); productivity  ...  view the full agenda text for item 43

Consideration was given to the report which was the UK Shared Prosperity fund prospectus for years two and three. He explained that following Brexit, the Government committed to ensuring they continued regional funding under the name of the UK Shared Prosperity fund. 

In terms of developing the proposed the first  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43

The report provides proposed projects and recommendations for use of Rotherham’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) £6.4m allocation, for 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Projects will help Rotherham businesses to start up and grow, develop the skills our residents need to get a good job and progress in their careers, and provide targeted support to local communities in the face of cost of living and other pressures. In short, this package of measures will support the Council’s aspirations to build a more inclusive local economy.

Portfolio – Leader of the Council

Directorate – Assistant Chief Executive’s

The Chair invited the Chief Executive to introduce the report. She outlined that the UKSPF was a three-year government funded programme channelled through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), introduced as a successor fund to the European Structural Funds (ESF).

It was noted that the UKSPF replaced the funding available through ESF, albeit at a lower level. The regional allocation for South Yorkshire equated to £38.9 million over three years, compared with €410 million from 2007- 2013 and €180 million between 2014 – 2020.

Rotherham’s allocation of the UKSPF was £7.2 million from April 2022 to March 2025. Of this £5.6 million was allocated to revenue funding with the remaining £1.6 million allocated to capital projects. £6.4 million was available in years two and three.

All funding allocated under the fund had to meet and eligibility criteria which was signed off by Government in late 2022. The criteria were aligned to the following themes:

·       Supporting local business

·       People and skills

·       Community and place

The report and appendices listed the activity and programmes supported by the fund.

It was noted that the timescales attached to the funding was extremely tight, therefore South Yorkshire partners had looked pragmatically at developing proposals to avoid disruption to services and businesses and loss of key staff. It was outlined that some of the projects would have come to an end had this funding not been available. The use of the funding would ensure that priority schemes could be delivered, especially in the context of cost-of-living inflationary increases. Examples were given of integrated working such as Employment Solutions which were having a positive impact on those people needing additional support to access employment.

The Chair invited questions from Board Members and a discussion on the following issues ensued:

Further details were sought on how year one funding was reported. It was outlined that details were reported in the financial update, however because of the amount of detail and the significance of years two and three funding this was reported to Cabinet in a stand-alone paper.

Clarification was requested on how partnerships and agencies were selected and if there was sufficient capacity for programmes to be rolled out wider (e.g. Open Arms). It was outlined that a mapping exercise had been undertaken with voluntary-community sector partners to identify what activity was already underway in the borough. This had identified communities where the greatest need of support was required, including local infrastructure. The aim was to target funding where the greatest impact could be made in line with the criteria. It was noted that projects in some wards may not access funding although the Council continued to explore new funding streams to support future targeted work. 

Further details were requested about business incubation centres and how success was measured. The Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment outlined that there were four business incubation centres in Rotherham. Referrals were received from business networks such as the Chamber of Commerce, colleges or self-referrals. What differentiated incubation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30