Community Renewal Fund

As a precursor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund the UK Government is making funding available through the UK Community Renewal Fund. The Community Renewal Fund aims to support communities to pilot programmes and new approaches, aligning national and local provision to support people and communities most in need across the UK focussing on skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment. The total funding available for the Community Renewal Fund is £220m across the UK and must be spent during the period 2021-22.

The fund is a competitive process with bids and the UK Government has identified a list of 100 priority places across the UK that are recognised as requiring support. Caerphilly County Borough has not been identified as one of the 100 priority places but this will not preclude bids being considered under the fund. Being listed as a priority place does not guarantee funding.

As a unitary authority, Caerphilly County Borough Council will be acting as the lead in collating and assessing bids as part of the first stage of the process and we are therefore seeking bids from organisations wishing to deliver activity as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund. Organisations including local district councils, voluntary and community sector organisations and local education providers including universities are eligible to apply.

Projects must deliver activity that is line with the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus that sets out how the Community Renewal Fund will operate across the UK and act as a guide for applicants outlining the selection criteria.

Project proposals may align with one, or deliver across several, of the following investment priorities.

  • Investment in skills
  • Investment for local business
  • Investment in communities and place
  • Supporting people into employment
 

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.

90% of funding available through the UK Community Renewal Fund is revenue funding with a limited amount of capital funding and is only available in 2021/22, projects should be predominantly, or exclusively revenue based.

How to Apply

Before starting work on a bid applicants should read the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and the UK Community Fund Technical Note for Project Applicants and Deliverers which can both be found by clicking on the following link Community Renewal Fund.

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.

Application Closing Date

To request an application form please contact CRF@caerphilly.gov.uk. All project application bids must be submitted via this e-mail and must be in the prescribed format.

All project applications must be submitted to Caerphilly County Borough Council by noon on 17th May 2021.

Assessment

The UK Community Renewal Fund is a competitive process and Caerphilly County Council will appraise and prioritise projects up to a maximum of £3m per place and submit a shortlist to UK Government who will select projects based on the published assessment criteria.

As the lead authority, Caerphilly County Council will assess all bids submitted using the below framework:

  • 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 needs as set out in the Councils Regeneration Strategy.

Caerphilly County Borough Council will submit those bids deemed eligible that it assesses best fits the UK Community Renewal Fund and local priorities to the UK Government for consideration, up to the maximum value of £3m per place b y18 June 2021.

The UK Government will assess all bids submitted by lead authorities against the criteria set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and will announce the outcome of the assessment process from late July 2021 onwards.

Successful applicants will then have to enter into a funding agreement with the local authority.

Local Priorities

In selecting the bids that will be forwarded to the UK Government for consideration, we will prioritise bids that have the greatest potential to deliver against key local priorities to help Caerphilly County Borough’s economy to recover as quickly as possible from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Project proposals should align with at least one of the following four strategic theme objectives:

  • Supporting People: Increase employability, skills levels, educational attainment and reducing worklessness. Improve the health of residents and improve resilience through the development of the Foundational Economy
  • Supporting Businesses: Build a more resilient and diverse economy, support growth, innovation and enterprise. Create an environment that nurtures and enhances business and competitiveness, increase business support and improve the links between business, schools and education and training providers.
  • Supporting Quality of Life: Manage our natural heritage and resources whilst protecting wildlife and promote the use of green spaces. Improve access to culture, leisure and arts. Enhance opportunities for physical improvement, capitalise on the tourism assets of the area as a destination, develop the role of town centres for the needs of residents and business.
  • Connecting People & Places: Promote projects that improve connectivity, promote public transport integration and connectivity, promote place making & rail improvements, reduce out commuting, promote digital connectivity.

A Foundation for Success (PDF)