Local support for communities in Cornwall most in need of support
EU funding has been allocated to the West Cornwall, Coast to Coast, South and East Cornwall and Atlantic and Moor Local Action Groups by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme.
The European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund grant will support the preparatory work required to develop the Local Development Strategies that underpin the delivery of Community Led Local Development (CLLD) across the most deprived communities in Cornwall. These include those areas that are in the bottom 30% of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) nationally (see attached map) although there may also be scope to extend the coverage to adjacent areas where their incorporation makes functional sense and provides economic benefits. The funding, which is being managed on behalf of the four Local Action Groups by Cornwall Development Company, includes £136k from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund and £24k match funding from Cornwall Council.
The preparatory work will involve the appointment of external contractor(s) who will undertake the necessary consultation and development work required to maximise local, “bottom up” engagement in the process of writing the Local Development Strategies, identifying the exact areas of coverage for CLLD and for identifying the membership of the Local Action Groups who will oversee delivery. “It is vital that the proposed approach engages with the hardest to reach communities and businesses so that their voices are heard and the funding can be targeted accordingly,” said David Rodda, Rural Delivery Manager at the Cornwall Development Company who is managing the project.
Between April and August 2016, this preparatory phase will support the engagement of local stakeholders, residents and businesses, support the costs of targeted consultation activity, studies and evidence gathering. At the end of this phase a robust Local Development Strategy for each CLLD area will be submitted to the Managing Authorities (Department for Communities and Local Development and Department for Work and Pensions) for consideration but as it is a competitive process there is no guarantee that any application will be successful. If approved, CLLD Local Action Groups will then oversee delivery and projects or activity identified through the preparatory work should start in 2017.
Julian German, Economic Portfolio Holder for Cornwall Council said: ‘CLLD encourages local involvement in the delivery of EU funds and Cornwall Council is keen to support. CLLD helps to empower communities. If the Local Development Strategies are successful in securing funds for the delivery phase of activity these funds can be targeted at the areas of greatest need so it’s encouraging to see the preparatory work underway.”
In a joint statement the chairs of the West Cornwall, Coast to Coast, South and East Cornwall and Atlantic and Moor Local Action Groups (Julian Rand MBE, Jonathan McCulloch, Kim Spencer and James Platts respectively), said: “With up to £15 million of EU funds allocated to CLLD as part of the wider EU Growth Programme delivery architecture, the opportunity to influence how this is invested in our most deprived areas should not be underestimated. We need residents, businesses, communities and representative organisations from the target areas to get involved in this work so that we can make the Local Development Strategies as robust as possible. The funding is not a given and will only be secured if our strategies are developed with the input and involvement of local stakeholders.’
Enquiries relating to the project should be directed to David Rodda david.rodda@cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk
ENDS
Editor’s notes
Attached image: map showing Lower Super Output Areas at a neighbourhood level
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme is part of the England Growth Programme, which will run from 2014-2020. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is the only area in England to qualify as a ‘Less Developed’ region and has an allocation of €603.7million which is split as follows:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) €438 million
European Social Fund (ESF) €166 million
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) has an allocation of £10 million in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, aligned with the wider England Growth Programme.
Details of all Growth Programme calls can be found at https://www.gov.uk/european-structural-investment-funds?keywords=&location%5B%5D=south-west
Contact:
Email us at: growthprogramme@cornwall.gov.uk
Visit us at: Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth Programme
Follow us: @GrowthProgramme