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UK Community Renewal Fund
Introduction
Plymouth City Council is seeking bids from organisations wishing to deliver activity as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund.
Please read the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus, the Technical Note for Project Applicants and Deliverers and Frequently Asked Questions before starting work on a bid. They are available here.
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.
Successful UK Community Renewal Fund bids will be for 2021/22 only and activity must end in March 2022.
Background
To help local areas prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the UK Government is providing funding in 2021/22 through the UK Community Renewal Fund. We 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. In addition, projects should show how they complement other national and local provision. 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.
Plymouth City Council has been designated as a lead authority by the UK Government. As a lead authority Plymouth City Council is responsible 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.
Please see the latest Plymouth Resurgam Dashboard which highlights many economic indicators for the city, such as employment, inclusive growth and skills.
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
- Investment for local business
- Investment in communities and place
- Supporting people into employment
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.
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 will not be supported.
Local Priorities
In selecting the bids that will be forwarded to the UK Government for consideration, Plymouth City Council will prioritise the bids that have the greatest potential to deliver against key local growth priorities.
For our local priorities, please refer to the priorities described in Plymouth’s Plan for Economic Growth, on the Resurgam website and in the Build Back Better plan that has been jointly developed by Heart of the South West Joint Committee and Local Enterprise Partnership.
Geographic Coverage - projects should benefit the following places:
Plymouth
We are happy to accept bids that cover more than our area. For these projects, please describe where the project will be located, how much of the project will be delivered in Plymouth and how you will ensure delivery in Plymouth.
How Bids Will be Assessed
As the lead authority Plymouth City Council will assess all bids submitted. Bids will be assessed against:
- the gateway criteria set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus – bids that fail to meet these criteria are ineligible support and will be rejected
- the extent to which they meet the objectives of UK Community Renewal Fund
- the extent to which bids would support the delivery of local growth and employment support priorities
Following assessment Plymouth City Council will submit those eligible bids which most strongly meet the UK Community Renewal Fund and local priorities to the UK Government for consideration, up to a maximum of £3m per place.
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.
Plymouth City Council will enter into a funding agreement with successful bidders.
Project Collaboration and Brokerage
If you are interested in working with other potential applicants, please register your interest by emailing communityrenewalfund@plymouth.gov.uk, and titling your email Project Collaboration.
Submitting a Bid
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 Plymouth City Council using this email address: CommunityRenewalFund@plymouth.gov.uk
Bids must be submitted by 11.59pm on 14 May 2021.
The UK Community Renewal Fund is a competitive process and Plymouth City Council and the UK Government will not enter into discussions with bidders.
We held a Q&A webinar for potential bidders on Thursday 29 April. You can view the Webinar's Presentation Slides here and you can view the Questions and Answers covered in the session here.
Frequently Asked Questions are available to view here.
Shortlist
The UK Community Renewal Fund in Plymouth closed to applications on the 14 May. Nine bids were received, for a total of £6.3m funding. As Lead Authority, Plymouth City Council was allowed to put forward up to £3m of projects for consideration by UK Government. Following a technical appraisal process, the projects were shortlisted and sent to UK Government on 18 June. UK Government will now assess the shortlisted applications and announce the outcome from late July. Please find the shortlisted projects below in alphabetical order:
- Project Name: Ocean Futures Innovation Service (OFIS)
- Lead Applicant: Plymouth City Council
- Project Description: OFIS is a pilot business accelerator programme supporting Ocean Futures and the designated Plymouth and South Devon Freezone (Freeport). It will deliver in-depth Knowledge Transfer engagements to develop new marine technology in the areas of Autonomy, Net Zero and Digital Ocean and innovative export support using Augmented Reality.
- Project Name: Plymouth Health Technology Discovery Centre
- Lead Applicant: University of Plymouth
- Project Description: The Plymouth Health Technology Discovery Centre (PHTDC) will pilot a health technology programme, focussing on workplace health and wellbeing challenges. Three strands of activity will support delivery:
- Discovery Centre health technology facility
- Market development working with 3 prime employers
- Business engagement, development and R&D.
- Project Name: Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
- Lead Applicant: Plymouth City Council
- Project Description: This application further enhances Plymouth’s trailblazer National Marine Park designation by delivering a programme of five key elements for the park:
- Access through gateway Hubs
- SME business and skills support
- New “blue” businesses/products
- Net Zero: Innovative waterfront decarbonisation
- Public engagement and community development.
- Project Name: Priority Skills Academy Pilot (PSAP)
- Lead Applicant: Plymouth City Council
- Project Description: PSAP is an innovative programme offering agile, demand-led skills training. Distinct from existing initiatives, it will equip people with skills they need for existing opportunities to meet urgent demand, e.g., in healthcare, marine and construction. It will support future opportunities i.e., Plymouth and South Devon Freezone (Freeport).
- Project Name: Stonehouse Union
- Lead Applicant: Nudge Community Builders and Street Factory
- Project Description: This project brings together different but complementary organisations working in a deprived area in Plymouth. It will provide:
- Unique life-skills support and training for unemployed and far from the labour market beneficiaries
- Work-skills training
- Start-Up mentoring and support
- Business support and workspace.
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