As part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) investment priority Communities and Place the Council would like to appoint a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisation to manage and administer the Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Grant programme on the Councils behalf through to 31 March 2025.
Full details and eligibility criteria is included in the guidance document.
The call for applications opened at 12noon on Tuesday 9 May and will close at 5pm on Friday 9 June.
Please email UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk to request a copy of the application pack.
Clarification questions can be emailed to UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk up until 5pm on Friday 19 May. If you can please add Community and Voluntary Grant Administration Call in the email subject. We will aim to answer within five business days.
Guidance document
Investment priority – Communities & Place
Intervention E9: Funding for impactful volunteering and/or social action projects to develop social and human capital in local places.
Delivery: April 2023 to April 2025
Indicative fund allocation: £355,000
Call open: Tuesday 9 May 2023 at 12noon
Call closes: Friday 9 June 2023 at 17:00
Contents
- Introduction
- Bassetlaw District Council - open call
- Communities and place
- The call objective
- Eligible applicants to manage and administer the grant programme
- Eligible costs
- Ineligible costs
- Contribution rate and match funding
- How to apply to develop, deliver and administer the grant programme
- Assessment criteria
- Stage one: gateway criteria
- Stage two: scoring
- Stage three: moderation
- Further information
Introduction
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is part of UK government’s Levelling Up agenda. It provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition.
UKSPF replaces the European Structural Investment Fund. The Fund’s interventions will be planned and delivered by councils and mayoral authorities across England, Scotland and Wales – ‘lead local authorities’, working closely with local partners. The UKSPF will support the UK government’s wider commitment to level up all parts of the UK by delivering on each of the levelling up objectives:
- Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging
- Spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest
- Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost
- Empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency
The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. This aligns with Levelling Up White Paper missions, particularly: ‘By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.’
The fund is split into three investment priorities and each has a list of interventions sitting underneath it that areas can choose to allocate funding to. The three investment priorities are:
- Communities and place
- Supporting local business
- People and skills
UKSPF Investment Priorities and the Levelling Up Missions
Overarching objective = Building pride in place and increasing life chances
All 3 investment priorities:
- Community and Place
- Supporting Local Business; and
- People and Skills
relate to Levelling Up White Paper Mission 9: By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
The Community and Place investment priority relates to:
Mission 9. By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 7. By 2030, the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years
Mission 8. By 2030, well-being will have improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 11. By 2030, homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime will have fallen, focused on the worst-affected areas.
The Supporting Local Business investment priority relates to:
Mission 9. By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 1. By 2030, pay, employment and productivity will have risen in every area of the UK, with each containing a globally competitive city, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 2. By 2030, domestic public investment in Research & Development outside the Greater South East will increase by at least 40% and at least one third over the Spending Review period, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth.
The People and Skills investment priority relates to:
Mission 9. By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 1. By 2030, pay, employment and productivity will have risen in every area of the UK, with each containing a globally competitive city, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.
Mission 6. By 2030, the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training will have significantly increased in every area of the UK. In England, this will lead to 200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas.
Mission 7. By 2030, the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years.
Mission 8. By 2030, well-being will have improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
For further information read the UKSPF Prospectus.
Bassetlaw District Council – Open Call
Bassetlaw District Council, as the lead authority, has been allocated £3,391,320 for the overall programme for the period 2022–2025. The Government approved the Council's Investment Plan submission on 5 December 2022.
This call relates to Investment Priority – Communities & Place
Intervention E9: Funding for impactful volunteering and/or social action projects to develop social and human capital in local places.
Bassetlaw District Council recognises the important and valuable contribution that the voluntary and community sector (VCS) brings to the area and why it is paramount to invest in the sector to build further capacity in the area.
Through the fund, the Council wants to make it easier for VCS groups to access smaller amounts of funding for projects that will make a difference in their local neighbourhoods.
The Call Objective
To appoint a VCS organisation to develop, manage, and administer the grant programme on behalf of Bassetlaw District Council as the lead authority.
The funding allocation is:
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Year |
Funding Allocation |
|---|---|
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2023/24 |
190,000 * |
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2024/25 |
165,000 |
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Total |
£355,000 |
*Includes £50,000 underspend from 2022/23 subject to Government approval when first six monthly report is submitted in May 2023.
UKSPF Outputs and Outcomes relating to intervention E9. The numbers in brackets indicate the minimum outputs and outcomes to be achieved throughout the delivery period
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Outputs (minimum outputs) |
Outcomes |
|---|---|
|
Number of organisations receiving grants (35) Number of organisations receiving non-financial support (30) Number of local events or activities supported (75) Number of volunteering opportunities supported (100) Number of projects (35) |
Improved engagement numbers (150) Volunteering numbers as a result of support (100) |
In addition to UKSPF outputs and outcomes, the following place-based priorities need to be supported through the administration of the community and voluntary grant programme:
- District-wide community and voluntary grant programme but strong consideration need to be given to the most deprived areas in the district this includes but is not exclusive to:
- Worksop – Cheapside
- Worksop – Manton
- Worksop – Sandy Lane
- Carlton-in-Lindrick – Wimpey Estate
- Harworth & Bircotes
- East Retford East, West, North & South
- Rural areas/communities
- Work in conjunction with UKSPF funded Community Hubs that will be operational in:
- Worksop – Cheapside
- Worksop – Manton
- Worksop – Sandy Lane
- Carlton-in-Lindrick – Wimpey Estate
- Harworth & Bircotes
- Retford – in collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council Family Hub
- Work in conjunction with the UKSPF funded Arts and Heritage Officer and small grants programme to deliver community based activities
- Projects are a precursor to People and Skills Investment Priority Delivery in 2024/5 to refer residents into wider provision/mainstream provision
- Pride in place: improving people’s satisfaction with where they live
- Enhancing engagement in community activities, community cohesion, and addressing anti-social behaviour
- Tackle social isolation across the district, but with a particular focus on rural areas/needs
- Improve health and wellbeing
- Tackle issues related to the cost of living crisis, considering the needs of rural as well as urban areas
- Creating volunteer opportunities
- Data relating to district needs can be identified in the published State of the District Report
Eligible applicants to manage and administer the grant programme
- Any voluntary and community organisation.
- Voluntary and community organisations are:
- independent of government and constitutionally self-governing, usually with an unpaid voluntary management committee.
- Value-driven: they exist for the good of the community, to promote social, environmental, or cultural objectives in order to benefit society as a whole or particular groups within it.
- They do not run for financial gain; they reinvest any surpluses to further the ‘good’ they create for the community.
- Any voluntary or community organisation that can demonstrate they have a strong track record in delivering community services and have successfully developed and delivered a grant programme that has delivered social value
- Any community and voluntary organisation that is able to administer the community and voluntary grant programme in the Bassetlaw area To deliver the desired outputs and outcomes, the delivery organization(s) will need a good knowledge of Bassetlaw and community place-based needs.
- Due to the programme only being operational for a two-year period, applicants will need to demonstrate that they are able to mobilise quickly.
- Applications are welcome from individual community and voluntary organisations or consortium bids, which bring together a range of organisations that have the required skills and knowledge to deliver.
- Financial due diligence checks will be undertaken on applicants and may exclude them from further consideration. These checks will include an assessment of the applicant’s financial standing, including the ability to deal with cost overruns, cash flow a project in arrears, and absorb a financial irregularity.
- Applicants must ensure that the project is compliant with the UK Subsidy Control Regime and will be asked to demonstrate this within their application.
- Applicants must be legally constituted, and if the application is approved, the applicant organisation will enter into a legally binding funding agreement and therefore will carry the liability for ensuring that the terms and conditions of the funding agreement are met.
- Funding must be used to support and deliver activity in Bassetlaw only.
Eligible costs
The purpose of the funding is to develop, deliver, and manage a community and voluntary grant programme.
Revenue funds can be used to contribute to the costs of ongoing operational expenses required in the running of the programme, including:
- Staff salary costs (including employer NI and pension contributions)
- Overheads related to employing staff involved in delivering activities
- Cost of business travel.
- Marketing and publicity costs
*There is an expectation that the successful applicant(s) will work closely with the Bassetlaw District Council's Communications Team to develop all promotional resources and the Economic Development Team and Growth & Enterprise Team on events, e.g., programme or project promotion, launch events, celebration events, etc.
No more than 10% (£35,500) of the overall funding (£355,000) can be used to support the development and administration of the grant programme. £319,500 must be administered through grants.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are considered ineligible and must not be included in applications:
- Paid for lobbying, entertaining, petitioning, or challenging decisions, which means using the fund to lobby (via an external firm or in-house staff) in order to undertake activities intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, government, or political activity, including the receipt of UKSPF funding, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action
- Payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature
- VAT reclaimable from HMRC
- Gifts or payments for gifts or donations
- Statutory fines, criminal fines, or penalties
- Payments for works or activities that the lead local authority, project deliverer, end beneficiary, or any member of their partnership has a statutory duty to undertake or that are fully funded by other sources
- Contingencies and contingent liabilities
- Bad debts, costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors, or winding up a company
- Expenses in respect of litigation, unfair dismissal, or other compensation
- Costs incurred by individuals in setting up and contributing to private pension schemes
Contribution rate and match funding
- UKSPF must not be used to replace existing funding sources. UKSPF must enable activity to take place that would not otherwise happen or to increase the scope, scale, or intensity of activity.
- There is no specific requirement for match funding. If an organisation can demonstrate some level of match, however, this will be viewed favourably. This can be in financial or resource support.
- UKSPF will be paid quarterly in arrears, and expenditure must be defrayed prior to the submission of any grant claims. Applicants may be asked to demonstrate how they are able to cash flow the operation.
How to apply to develop, deliver and administer the grant programme
The following documents must be requested from UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk by applicants in order to be considered for funding. Please send them back to UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk once they are completed.
- UKSPF -Bassetlaw Communities & Place - E9 to Develop, Deliver and Administer a Voluntary and Community Grant Programme Application Form
- UKSPF – Bassetlaw Budget and Performance Profile
In addition, please email one of the following to support your application:
- A copy of audited accounts for the last two years.
- A statement of the turnover, profit and loss account (income statement), balance sheet (statement of financial position), and statement of cash flow for the most recent year of trading for this organisation
- Alternative means of demonstrating financial status if any of the aforementioned are not available, such as a forecast of turnover for the current year and a statement of funds provided by the owners and/or the bank, charity accruals accounts, or another method
Applications submitted in any other format will not be accepted. Completed applications must be submitted by: 17:00 on 9 June 2023
Assessment Criteria
Stage 1: Gateway criteria
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Criteria |
Pass |
Fail |
Partial |
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Criteria 1: Application signed, fully completed and returned on time |
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Criteria 2: Applicant meets eligibility criteria e.g. confirmed V&C Org. |
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Criteria 3: Economic and Financial Standing* Finance Risk * |
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Criteria 4: Prior Contract Performance |
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Criteria 5: Provision of Subsidies |
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Criteria 6: Policies |
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Criteria 7: Liability Insurance |
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*These will also be assessed via due diligence checks.
Applications that fail any criterion cannot progress to Stage 2: Scoring.
For the questions which have been assessed as partial, progress to Stage 2 is allowed. Scoring will be allowed with justification from the Assessor.
Stage 2: Scoring
The maximum score for each question is 5, based on the scoring framework below, but some are weighted through the multiplication of the assigned score. For example, questions in Section 4 Project/Programme Details, a score of 5 weighted by a factor of 2 will equal a total score of 10 per question. The maximum score and multiplication weightings are shown on the application form in the dark grey box to the right of each question.
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Score |
Assessment |
Description |
|---|---|---|
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0 |
Unacceptable |
Response to the question is unacceptable, or no response was received. Does not give the fund confidence in the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. |
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1 |
Poor/Weak response |
Inadequate detail provided, or some of the answers are not directly relevant to the question. Is supported by none or a weak standard of evidence in several areas, giving rise to concern about the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. |
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2 |
Below Expectations |
Limited information provided and/or a response that is inadequate or only partially addresses the question giving rise to concern about the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. |
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3 |
Satisfactory Response |
Acceptable response in terms of the level of detail, accuracy, and relevance. Is supported by a satisfactory standard of evidence in most areas, but a few areas lack detail or evidence, giving rise to some concerns about the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. |
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4 |
Good Response |
Comprehensive response in terms of detail and relevance to the question and supported by a good standard of evidence. Gives the fund confidence in the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. Meets the fund’s requirements. |
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5 |
Very Good Response |
As good, but to a better degree in terms of precision and relevance. Is comprehensive and supported by a high standard of evidence. Gives the fund a high level of confidence in the ability of the bidder to deliver the contract. May exceed the Fund’s requirements in some respects; for example, added value such as integration or synergy with other projects |
Stage 3. Moderation
Funding will be awarded to the applicant with the highest score.
The Council reserves the right to invite applicants to an interview when scores are very close and/or clarification is required.
Notification of invitation to bid outcome
Once the outcome of the assessment process has been notified to all applicants, organisations can request feedback on their applications and scoring.
Further information
For further information or questions please email UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 17, 2023