Badenoch and Strathspey Members agree proposals for new Community Challenge Fund
Members at today’s Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee agreed to merge new place-based investment funding with the Highland Council’s original investment to create a new Community Challenge Fund.
In March 2021 Highland Council allocated a £100,000 Place Based Investment Fund (PBIF) to each ward for 2021/22 which was intended to address the four harms of COVID-19.
The funding was aimed at addressing direct health harms, health impacts not directly related to COVID, societal impact and economic impacts.
The Scottish Government has now announced fresh Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) funding of £1,963,000 for Highland Council. It was agreed at the Economy and Infrastructure Committee that the local authority would adopt an area based approach, which resulted in Badenoch and Strathspey being awarded £129,222 of that total.
Discussions on how best to deploy both funds resulted in a proposal to start up a Community Challenge Fund with a focus on regeneration projects. Members today agreed on the proposals, which were also outlined to the Badenoch and Strathspey Community Partnership on October 25 and full endorsed by all partners.
Now the remaining £50,000 remaining of the Ward Place Based Investment Fund will be merged with the new £129,222 Scottish Government funding.
The new Community Challenge Fund will be made available to external groups and/or other Council services in line with the details agreed in the report and the Scheme of Delegation.
This means grants related to the Council’s Place Based fund of up to £10,000 can be administered locally by the Ward Manager in consultation with Members and grants larger than £10,000 will require further approval via the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee.
To date £50,000 of the original Place Based Investment Fund has been allocated, specifically for a series of studies to support housing in the area.
Chair of the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee, Cllr Bill Lobban, said: “The new Challenge Fund will be open to all communities across Badenoch and Strathspey for regeneration projects. The projects should consider the four harms of covid, particularly in relation to recovery.
“The PBIP funding is capital in nature and will be in place for five years, to enable and advance place-based investment. The ward Place Based Funding will complement the PBIP funding through provision of support for both one-off and longer-term project development, thus providing the opportunity for community groups to consider more impactful projects for their communities.”
He added: “I don’t expect communities will have any difficulty proposing worthwhile projects for us to consider.”
Applications can be sought for both revenue and capital projects although only capital projects can be funded from PBIP funding. Information about how to express an interest in assistance from the funding will be issued very soon.