The Investment Plan outlined a series of interventions from those supplied within the guidance from the government. These were allocated within each of the three overarching objectives. Within these, the council identified projects that would deliver outputs – an outline of this is provided below.
The interventions will be delivered through a phased approach. The Community and Place objectives will commence in 2023-24, with Support for Business, and People and Skills to follow in 2024-25. The projects are required to be delivered by March 2025 as stipulated by central government.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2024/25
Priorities identified through the Big Ideas Challenge, Voluntary and Community Sector mapping, Levelling Up projects, Margate Town Deal and Future High Street Fund in Ramsgate will inform delivery of all UKSPF projects.
Support for Business
Growing Social Economy:
- Work with key neighbourhoods to reach those most in need of support into employment.
- Support social enterprises and community businesses to engage the community into projects, employment or volunteering.
People and Skills
Employment Support for Inactive People:
- Link people to key employment opportunities including creative and digital sectors in Margate and green and maritime sectors in Ramsgate.
- Develop opportunities to engage and train people to work in the visitor and night time economy.
Enrichment and Volunteering Activities:
- Build community capacity to create volunteering opportunities within the most deprived areas.
- Provide engagement opportunities for enrichment, training and volunteering opportunities.
Green Skills:
- Identify local people who can connect to existing opportunities including wind farms and to the growing circular economy.
- Work to provide early engagement with Green Campus and Green Port projects.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2023/24
Priorities identified through the Big Ideas Challenge, Voluntary and Community Sector mapping, Levelling Up projects, Margate Town Deal and Future High Street Fund in Ramsgate will inform delivery of all UKSPF projects.
Mapping and Conversation
Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector Mapping:
- Identify VCSE organisations in Thanet and their needs, challenges and capacity.
- Target funding, support and interventions in focus neighbourhoods.
BIG Ideas Conversation:
- Engage with people in focus neighbourhoods to identify projects that could benefit from support of the Fund.
- Hold fun, interactive events to encourage engagement.
Delivery Streams
Grants Fund:
- Set up a Grants programme to fund local social action projects and activities.
- Support local projects with engagement and local pride.
- Use the findings of the Mapping to inform focus for funding and support.
Community Champions Programme:
- Set up a Community Champion Programme to support VCSE leaders.
- Strengthen the VCSE network through sharing knowledge, ideas & best practice.
- Collaborate for most impact & reduce duplication.
Capital Investment:
- Support community organisations to improve facilities.
- Develop opportunities for community engagement and activity.
- Explore match funding opportunities through partnerships.
Community and Place
Delivery – Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Mapping
A detailed mapping exercise to identify an accurate understanding of the VCSE sector in Thanet, including an understanding of needs and challenges to ensure successful targeting of funding, support and interventions.
PermalinkDelivery – BIG Ideas Conversation
Work with focus communities to identify projects and investments that would be most effective at delivering positive change from the Fund.
PermalinkDelivery – Grants programme
Deliver a grants programme to build capacity and confidence, support young people and to restore a sense of community pride. Grants to fund local social action projects and activities.
PermalinkDelivery – Community Champions programme
Support Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise Sector to create opportunities for networking, training, support, capacity building and collaboration for maximum impact and to reduce duplication.
PermalinkDelivery – Capital Investment
Engage with community led spaces to support them to enhance their facilities/offer to meet the needs of their neighbourhoods.
Support community pride, activities and engagement.
Explore match funding opportunities through local partnerships
Support for Business
Delivery – Growing Social Economy
Provide opportunities to work with focus neighbourhoods to reach those most in need of support into employment.
Support existing social enterprises and community businesses to engage those residents furthest from the labour market into projects, employment or volunteering.
People and Skills
Delivery – Employment Support for Inactive People
Create a flow of beneficiaries to link people directly to key employment opportunities including creative and digital in Margate and green and maritime in Ramsgate. Develop opportunities to engage and train people to be employed by the visitor and night time economy.
PermalinkDelivery – Enrichment and Volunteering Activities
Build community capacity to create volunteering opportunities within the most deprived areas.
Provide engagement opportunities for enrichment, training and volunteering opportunities.
Delivery – Provide specific intervention to identify local people who can connect to existing provision and to opportunities related to a growing circular economy. Work to provide early engagement with Thanet’s Levelling Up Funded Green Campus and Green Port projects to support an increase in employment locally.
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