RobertCrowderRural Community Action Nottinghamshire

OUR VISION

To develop thriving, sustainable and

cohesive rural communities in Nottinghamshire.

How I became your representative.

Life on the board

Funding

EU Structural and Investment Funds (SIF)

i. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – focused on economic development, including funding business support and economic infrastructure interventions;  

ii. The European Social Fund (ESF) - designed to increase employment opportunities, promote social inclusion and address youth unemployment;  

iii. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - supports inclusive growth in agriculture, food and forestry, and in rural areas

How much is it worth?

• The D2N2 LEP notional allocation is £208.8m to be split 50:50 between ERDF and ESF.

• A further £5.5m of European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) was confirmed for the D2N2 area in May 2014. However, this is over 6 years and covers all of the D2N2.

Key themesi. Innovation

ii. ICT

iii. SME Competitiveness

iv. Low Carbon

v. Climate Change Adaptation

vi. Environmental Protection

vii. Sustainable Transport

viii. Employment and labour Mobility

ix. Social Inclusion and

x. Education, Skills and lifelong Learning

So what is the SEP?

UK Strategic Economic Plan (SEP):- •This is a bid to the UK Government for a Growth Deal which should bring with it the following•Gives freedoms, flexibilities and influence over resources from Government; •Plus a share of the new Local Growth Fund (LGF) to target their identified growth priorities.•In return Government will expect evidence of real commitment from Local Enterprise Partnerships to the growth agenda.

Developing T09

What is social exclusion?

Former Social Exclusion Unit’s definition ‘what can happen when people suffer from a combination of linked and multiple reinforcing problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown’

Objectives supported under TO9

• Deliver integrated and innovative solutions that tackle the root causes of social exclusion;

• Address barriers to work and provide pathways towards employment to allow all adults to play an active role in the labour market;

• Lift people out of poverty wherever they live including overcoming persistent pockets of poverty;

• Support active inclusion through the use of local initiatives.

Our Approach

• identify priority groups with a pressing need for support in the next 1-3 years;

• identify gaps in provision or where current provision does not have sufficient reach;

• draw out cross-cutting themes to inform the commissioning of programmes to support these groups;

• recommend a model for delivery; and• demonstrate the strategic fit with other Thematic

Objectives, notably (but not exclusively) 8 and 10 covering employment and skills respectively.

Findings

Five target groups are:

•Older long term unemployed

•Younger people

•Women ‘returners’

•People with multiple and complex needs

•The financially excluded.

Other Excluded groups

A number of other excluded groups are highlighted within TO9 including:

•People with physical disabilities

•Offenders

•People with learning disabilities

•Carers

•People from BME communities

•Troubled/priority families.

Cross Cutting Challenges

• Health and wellbeing.

• Rural inclusion / exclusion.

• Asset based community development.

• Involving business.

• Softer outcomes.

Themes or geography?

• Theme, with programmes determined by/designed around the five priority groups identified above delivered by partnerships working across the D2N2 area. Under this approach consideration would be given to geographic targeting at Partnership Development stage.

Commissioning Principles

• Personalised interventions –• Support should remain in place throughout

the beneficiary journey• Aspiration, Attitude and Aptitude• Navigators and Mentors• Focus on deliverability• Those furthest away from the labour market• ‘2 for 1’ activities.

Supporting and integrating with other EU SIF themes

• TO8, Promoting Employment and Supporting Labour Mobility, and

• TO10, Investing in Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.

TO9 focus

Link is achieved by TO9 focusing on:Engagement with the priority groups (acknowledging that many are disenfranchised from mainstream services) and employers,

Initiating the journey towards work,

Overcoming the barriers to this, particularly the wider barriers beyond skills and experience,

Supporting and sustaining progress as people move into TO8 and TO10 provision and beyond.

Other themes

• TO2: Enhancing Access to and use and quality of Communication Technologies

• TO3: SME Competitiveness

• TO6: Protecting the Environment and Promoting Resource Efficiency

• TO7: Promoting Sustainable Transport and Removing Bottlenecks in key Network Infrastructures.

What Next?

LEADER

• Method of delivering Rural Development Programme at Local Level.

• Funding in addition to D2N2 monies

• Local Development Strategy

• Extending across the Counties

The Fund aims to:-

• Support increase in farm productivity

• Support Micro and small enterprises and farm diversification

• Rural tourism

• Provision of rural services

• Support culture and heritage activity

• Increase forestry productivity.

Community Led local development

• Little guidance as yet

• 2015 calls for Action Groups

• D2N2 not promoting the process.

It is up to US