UKSPF - Business Decarbonisation Programme

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For further information read the UKSPF Prospectus.

As part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) investment priority Supporting Local Businesses, the Council would like to invite Expressions of Interest for funding to the business decarbonisation programme to provide IAG, dedicated energy audit and grant to businesses as a result of support through to 31 March 2025.

Full details and eligibility criteria is included in the guidance document.

The call for applications opened at 12noon on Wednesday 26 July 2023.

Please email UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk to request an application pack.

If you have any questions about the guidance document or the expression of interest application, please email UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk

Guidance document

Investment priority: Supporting Local Businesses

Intervention E29: Supporting decarbonisation and improving the natural environment whilst growing the local economy. Taking a whole systems approach to invest in infrastructure to deliver effective decarbonisation across energy, buildings and transport and beyond, in line with our legally binding climate target. Maximising existing or emerging local strengths in low carbon technologies, goods and services to take advantage of the growing global opportunity.

Delivery: July 2023 to April 2025

Indicative fund allocation:

Expression of Interest and Applications open: 12noon on 26 July 2023

Programme Review and Potential Expansion: 09:00 on 4 September 2023

Contents

• Introduction
• Bassetlaw District Council - open call
• Intervention E29
• The grant offer
• Phase 1
• Phase 2
• Eligibility criteria
• Eligible costs
• Ineligible costs
• Funding conditions
• Applications
• Assessment criteria
• 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

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.

Intervention E29

This grant relates to Investment Priority – Supporting Local Business

• Supporting decarbonisation and improving the natural environment whilst growing the local economy.
• Taking a whole systems approach to invest in infrastructure to deliver effective decarbonisation across energy, buildings and transport and beyond, in line with our legally binding climate target.
• Maximising existing or emerging local strengths in low carbon technologies, goods and services to take advantage of the growing global opportunity.

Bassetlaw District Council recognises the important and valuable contribution that the business sector brings to the area and why it is paramount to invest in the sector to build further capacity in the area.

Through the decarbonisation programme, the Council aims to support local businesses to start or accelerate their decarbonisation pathways to reduce their carbon emissions, thus their impact on climate change. The work to be carried out in this project intends to support both pillars of sustainability: financial and environmental, by decarbonising business premises and reducing their energy consumption.

To achieve this, the grants aim to facilitate businesses in gaining a better understanding of their business’ carbon footprint and identify the suitable energy efficiency measures to reduce this. As well as, financially supporting businesses to install energy efficiency measures to support the reduction of the organisation’s carbon footprint.

The grant offer

There are two phases of grant support available for organisations with fewer than 49 employees and whose business premises (which the funding application applies to) are located and operate within Bassetlaw District.          

Phase 1

Phase 1 will facilitate businesses creating a Heat Decarbonisation Plan for their chosen asset; this will ascertain an in-depth understanding of the business’ carbon footprint. The Council will procure an energy auditor for successful applicants to use to produce their heat decarbonisation plans. The energy audit and decarbonisation plan will consist of three parts: a pre-site visit desktop study, a site visit and a post-visit report. Information will be collected as part of a building energy audit (BS EN 16247 Part 2) to consider the energy consumption and energy saving opportunities at the building. Attention will be given to the building’s fabric, mechanical and electrical building services, operations, maintenance and occupancy. These will be outlined in the post-visit report and include potential energy saving opportunities. These outcomes will be achieved through external support that is funded through the grant offered. These saving opportunities can then be used to inform the works carried out in Phase 2. However, although it is highly recommended to complete Phase 1, if looking to take advantage of Phase 2, it is not compulsory.

Phase 2

Phase 2 offers the provision of a grant of up to £5,000 for future spend on energy efficiency measures to support the reduction of the organisations’ carbon footprint. The proposed measures must be supported by a current carbon footprint, cost and carbon savings calculations for before and after installation and a description of how the chosen measure will support the ongoing operation or maintenance of the building. This information can be obtained via Phase 1 or have been previously obtained by the business. Those interested in applying for any Phase of the grant funding should register via the Expression of Interest (EoI) form. Please email: UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk to request an Expression of Interest form if you haven’t received one alongside this guidance.

The call for Expressions of Interests and Applications opened at 12noon on the 26 July 2023. The call for Expressions of Interests and Applications was extended to small businesses at 09:00 on the 4 September 2023.

Clarification questions about the Expression of Interest and the Grant can be emailed to UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk.

Please add E29 Decarbonisation Programme in the email subject. We will aim to answer within five business days.

Eligibility Criteria

• Businesses must be located and operate within the Bassetlaw District.
• The business must have fewer than 49 employees.
• The liable party that pays the business rates to Bassetlaw District Council must match that of the applicant and this will be verified with the Council’s business rates team.
• The applicant must not be in debt to the Council and this will be verified with the relevant Council departments i.e. business rates and council tax.
• All licences and planning (if applicable) must be granted before the Phase 2 grant is awarded.

Eligible costs

Grant funding issued, as part of Phase 1 of the programme, shall only be used for payment of the Council’s procured Energy Auditor and shall be paid directly to the auditor from the Council. The Auditor will provide a Heat Decarbonisation Plan for the businesses’ chosen asset.

Grant funding, as part of Phase 2 of the programme, should only be used for energy efficiency measures and/or low carbon technologies for the purpose of reducing the businesses’ carbon footprint.

Ineligible costs

Grant funding issued, as part of Phase 1 of the programme, will not be eligible to fund an audit from an alternative auditor or as capital funding for works.

Grant funding issued, as part of Phase 2 of the programme, will not be eligible to fund any energy efficiency measures and/or low carbon technologies that cannot be justified by cost and carbon savings calculations for before and after installation.

Funding Conditions

• 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.
• Costs of previous works undertaken prior to applying will NOT be considered. This grant is for future spend only.
• There is no specific requirement for match funding. However, any costs exceeding the grant value is the responsibility of the applying organisation.
• For those businesses taking advantage of Phase 1 of the programme, it will be the responsibility of the business to engage with the energy auditor to provide the requested data for the pre-visit desktop study and to support the energy auditor to conduct the site audit.
• For those businesses taking advantage of Phase 2 of the programme, it will be the responsibility of the business to procure a contractor(s) for their chosen works and manage the works at their chosen asset. Also, evidence of your spend will be required with the provision of invoices and receipts and the submission of a report at the end of the project including photographs of the works before the funding will be released to the business.
• UKSPF grants will be paid quarterly in arrears, and expenditure must be defrayed prior to the submission of any claims. Applicants may be asked to demonstrate how they are able to cash flow the operation.

Applications

All those interested in applying for the programme will be required to complete an Expression of Interest to determine the business’ eligibility. Following the submission of the Expression of Interest, suitability of the potential applicants will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and we aim to provide feedback on your EoI within two weeks of receipt. Those that are successful will be invited to submit a full application for the Phase(s) of their choice. Again, we will review full applications on an ongoing basis, with the aim to provide feedback within four weeks of receiving your full application. It should be noted, that due to the ongoing review process, the number of successful applicants will be reviewed weekly and applications may close early if maximum capacity has been reached*. 

*Subject to available funding

How to apply for the grant programme following successful completion of the EoI Form:

• The following documents must be completed and returned to UKSPF@bassetlaw.gov.uk by applicants in order to be considered for funding. Applications submitted in any other format will not be accepted.
  • For Phase 1 only:
    • UKSPF - Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Grant Programme Application Form
  • For Phase 1 & 2:
    • UKSPF - Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Grant Programme Application Form
    • UKSPF – Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Programme Grant Support Tool (following completion of Phase 1, you will be prompted by the UKSPF officer when submission is required)
  • For Phase 2 only:
    • UKSPF - Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Grant Programme Application Form
    • UKSPF – Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Programme Grant Support Tool
  • In addition, for application to any phase, please email one of the following to support your application:
    • A copy of 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
    • Alternative means of demonstrating financial status if any of the aforementioned are not available, i.e. the last three bank statements
  • Finally:
    • If applicable, a letter of agreement from your Landlord

Assessment Criteria

Expression of Interest

The Expression of Interests aims to determine your eligibility for the programme and the provision of a signed confirmation of subsidy control compliance. Therefore, it is assessed on a pass or fail basis.

Phase 1

Applications for Phase 1 are also based upon the eligibility provided in your Expression of Interest, as well as, the provision of documents demonstrating the financial position of the business. Therefore, it is also assessed on a pass or fail basis.

Phase 2

Applications for Phase 2 are based upon the same criteria as outlined for a Phase 1 application, with the addition of the assessment of the UKSPF – Bassetlaw E29 Decarbonisation Programme Grant Support Tool. The questions within the tool will be assessed to determine a pass, fail or partial mark. Those initially unsuccessful for Phase 2 with partial marks will be given feedback and an opportunity to resubmit with priority grading in the queue. Those with failed marks will also receive feedback but will be relegated to the back of the queue upon resubmission with grant success subject to availability.

If you are successful for Phase 2 of the grant, evidence of your spend will be required with the provision of invoices and receipts and the submission of a report at the end of the project including photographs of the works before the funding will be released to the business.

Funding will be awarded to applicants whose project meets the UKSPF outcomes and the eligibility criteria. Once the outcome of the assessment process has been notified to 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, January 10, 2024