Bids invited for £220m Community Renewal Fund
The Government has introduced the UK Community Renewal Fund to support people and communities in need across the UK and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is handling local bids
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is inviting bid from organisations looking to access cash from the £220m UK Community Renewal Fund.
The Government has introduced the fund as it prepares for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, which will replace EU Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
The intention of the Fund is “to support people and communities in need across the UK. It will invest in skills, communities, businesses, and by supporting people into employment.”
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has been designated as a lead authority by the UK Government. As a lead authority, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is responsible for:
- Issuing the invitation to bid
- Receiving bids
- Selecting the bids that will be sent to UK Government for consideration
- Paying grants to successful projects and managing their performance
Frank Rogers, chief executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “I’d like to encourage organisations from across the Liverpool city region to look carefully at the criteria and consider applying to the Community Renewal Fund.
“Our focus now is on rebuilding our economy as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, so we need to ensure that we wring the last drop from every funding opportunity and submit the best projects we possibly can to this competitive fund.”
The invitation to bid covers the whole of the city region, but applicants should note that, within the city region, St Helens is the only place identified amongst the Government’s 100 “priority places” across the UK.
As lead authority, LCRCA will invite, assess, prioritise, and submit bids to government. Projects should apply for a minimum value of £500,000. 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 must be delivered, and all activity completed, by 31 March 2022. Confidence that funding will be spent within that timeframe will be one of the key criteria in assessment.
In selecting the bids that will be forwarded to the UK Government for consideration, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will prioritise those that have the greatest potential to deliver against the following key local growth priorities:
- Investment in skills
- Investment in local business
- Investment in communities and place
- Supporting people into employment
Bids must be submitted by Noon on Monday 17th May 2021. The UK Community Renewal Fund is a competitive process and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the UK Government will not enter into discussions with bidders. Click here for more information.