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UK Community Renewal Fund
This application process is now closed. Following initial assessment by Highland Council the UK Government will make a decision on successful applicants and advise from July 2021 onwards.
Highland Council are seeking bids from organisations wishing to deliver activity as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund. The UK Community Renewal Fund is a pilot programme in advance of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is intended to replace EU funding.
Please read the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and the UK Community Fund Technical Note for Project Applicants and Deliverers before starting work on a bid.
The Prospectus provides detailed information on the objectives of the Fund, the types of projects it intends to support and how it operates, including the process and selection criteria that will be used to assess bids.
To ensure the UK Community Renewal Fund reaches the places most in need, the UK Government has identified 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience across Great Britain. While Highland has not been identified as one of these priority places, bids of a high quality may still be considered.
Successful UK Community Renewal Fund bids will be for 2021/22 only and activity must end by 31 March 2022.
Background
To help local areas prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund expected to commence April 2022 (more details expected Autumn 2021), the UK Government is providing funding in 2021/22 through the UK Community Renewal Fund. This is a competitive fund.
They are interested in bids that build on local insight and knowledge, and project proposals that align with long-term strategic plans for local growth, target people most in need and support community renewal.
A focus for this Fund is to support innovation and new ideas in these areas, investing in pilots that draw on local insights and which will help places to prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022.
Highland Council has been designated as a lead authority by the UK Government, with responsibility for:
- issuing this invitation
- receiving bids
- selecting the bids that will be sent to UK Government for consideration
- paying grants to successful projects and managing their performance
Full details of the role of lead authorities can be found in the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus
What type of bids are we looking for?
Projects must deliver activity that is line with the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and align with at least one of these investment priorities:
- Investment in skills - see section 3.2
- Investment for local business - see section 3.3
- Investment in communities and place - see section 3.4
- Supporting people into employment - see section 3.5
There are no financial allocations to these priorities.
The UK Government anticipates supporting a range of projects by theme and size, but applicants are encouraged to maximise impact and deliverability through larger projects (£500,000+) where this is possible. For the Highland Council area, the minimum project value that will be considered is £50,000 bid.
As 90% of funding available through the UK Community Renewal Fund is revenue funding and only available in 2021/22, projects should be predominantly or exclusively revenue based.
Projects that focus predominantly on the construction or major refurbishment of buildings, the purchase of land or the purchase of large pieces of equipment are unlikely to be supported.
How bids will be assessed
Highland Council, as a lead authority designated by the UK Government, is expected to assess all bids submitted against:
- the gateway criteria set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus - bids that fail to meet these criteria are ineligible and will be rejected
- the extent to which they meet the objectives of UK Community Renewal Fund
- the extent to which bids would support local growth, target people most in need and support community renewal
This process is being refined however, following assessment, the Council will submit those eligible bids which most strongly meet the relevant criteria to the UK Government for consideration, up to a maximum of £3m, collectively.
The UK Government will assess all bids submitted by lead authorities against the criteria set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus.
The UK Government will announce the outcome of the assessment process from late July 2021 onwards.
The Council will enter into a funding agreement with successful bidders.
Submitting a bid
Please read the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and the UK Community Fund Technical Note for Project Applicants and Deliverers before starting work on a bid. The Prospectus provides detailed information on the objectives of the Fund, the types of projects it intends to support and how it operates, including the process and selection criteria that will be used to assess bids.
Bids must be submitted using the UK Community Renewal Fund Application Form. Bids submitted in any other format will not be accepted.
Bids must be submitted to Highland Council at regeneration@highland.gov.uk