LEPs and EU SIF:
Preparing to Engage
Rachel Quinn, One East Midlands
27 March 2014
York
Understand your LEP
• Stimulating Private-Sector led growth
• Job creation
How?
• Growing Places Fund – delivering local infrastructure
priorities
• Regional Growth Fund – drawing private sector
leverage for job creation
• Enterprise Zones – growth stimulation via simplified
planning and business tax breaks
• City Deals – Removing barriers to growth
Lord Heseltine’s Review
• ‘No Stone Unturned’ published October 2012
• Government response March 2013 – 81 out of 89
recommendations accepted, 5 rejected, 3 in SR
• Increasing Whitehall asks of / offers to LEPs - and
increasing focus on their performance
• Single Local Growth Fund from 2015
• LEPs to develop multi year strategic plans
• Funding to be allocated though Local Growth Deals
• LEPs to take greater role in EU funding distribution
• Support LEP capacity
LEP Roles
Lead role for LEPs – notional 7 year allocations
• Develop strategy, working with wide range of partners
• Select projects (commissioning, bidding and co-financing)
• Identify match funding
• Spend allocation (on time and in line with EU regulations)
• Ensure outcomes delivered
• Monitor delivery against strategy and programme priorities
• Not responsible for administering the funds (remains with
Managing Authorities)
• THIS IS NOT THE ONLY THING THEY ARE DOING…….!
LEP allocations for ERDF and ESF
2014 to 2020 (Y&H)
LEP
Allocation €m
Leeds City Region
391.2
Humber
102.4
York and North Yorkshire
97.5
Sheffield City Region
203.4
Greater Lincolnshire
133.5
Know your Strengths!
Structural:
• Employs 2.7% workforce
• Spends £1.5bn in Y&H
economy
• Holds £2.8bn in assets
• Access to volunteers
• High level and diverse skill
base
• Geographical reach – for
delivery, intelligence and to
test effectiveness of
interventions
• Geographical flexibility - from
national to local
• Established networks and
communication systems
Strategic:
• Access to match funding –
cash, assets, volunteers
• Existing Co-financer working
relationships (e.g. SFA, NOMS,
DWP)
• Existing relationships with
Managing Authorities
• Reach, data and intelligence
• Assessment of social inclusion,
poverty and disadvantage
• Delivering cross-cutting
themes: Planning for Equality
& Diversity and Sustainable
Development outcomes
More Strengths!
• Operational:
• Delivery specialisms e.g. digital
inclusion, skills & employability,
micro & social enterprise growth,
young people, health & wellbeing
and environmental sustainability
• Focus on disadvantage
• Rural and urban coverage
• Scalability
• Use of and access to social
investment products and models
• Proven technical expertise of:
– community led local
development,
– community grants,
– social inclusion
• Experiential:
• ESF, ERDF and EAFRD experience
(planning, management and
delivery)
• Scrutiny of EU programmes
• Co-production
• Complex funding packages
• Successful anti- poverty and
inclusion work
• Stimulating Community Led Local
Development (e.g. LEADER)*see
slide notes
• Experience of the development of
new ideas, products and services
to meet social need (social
innovation)
• Working in partnerships and
Understand the Challenges;
Address the Weaknesses
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Capacity and knowledge – esp. small groups
Engagement and representation
Conflicts of interest
Local leadership
Consortia building
Funding advice
Demonstrating Economic Impact
Timescales
Grasp the Opportunities
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Invest in knowledge
Social Inclusion
Big Lottery Fund
Community grants
Social innovation / investment / enterprise
Intelligence and data
Equality and social value
Funding advisors
Match funding (volunteer time??)
Identify projects and partnerships NOW
Stimulate Ideas
Know the Code of Conduct on
Partnership Working
• Governance
– Board
– Sub groups or advisory groups
• Engagement
– Involvement in consultation – active input
– Sector communication mechanism in place
• Strategy
– Role of CS clearly identified
– Strategy for Social Inclusion
– Take up of available ‘social’ options
More Information and resources are on the Reach &
Impact web page:
www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/reachandimpact
or Regional Voices at
www.regionalvoices.org
or at
www.europeanfundingnetwork.eu
Preparing to Collaborate
June Gomes
27 March 2014
York
Why Collaborate?
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Geographic Scale
Working across LEP area
Synergies with what other organisations do
Building a seamless pathway / client journey /
supply chain
• Adding niche aspects to service
Commissioner perspectives
• Often don’t want to fund two similar projects
in an area / duplication
• Want to see evidence that you’ve done your
preparatory work
• Bid size threshold?
• Value for money/ Best service
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Collaboration Spectrum
Networks/
Loose consortia
Partnerships
Formal consortia
Mergers
Different contracting forms
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Provider
Managing Agent
Managing Provider
‘Super Provider’
Provider
Contractor
Provider
Provision of Services
Managing Agent
Contractor
Managing Agent
Sub-contractors
Provision of Services
Managing Provider
Contractor
Managing Provider
Sub-contractors
Provision of Services
Provision of Services
Managing Agent/Provider
Contract top slice
Percentage of contract to pay for
management of sub-contractors:
 Performance
 Quality
 Financial management
‘Super Provider’
Provider
Provider
Provider
Provider
Provider
Provider
How does it work?
• Incorporation to form new legal entity
• Providers become members of this company
• Hub and spokes operating model
Social ownership
• Owned and controlled by the members
• 2 tier governance:
Council of Members
Board
Cross Sector Collaboration
There is also scope for cross sector collaboration:
•Working with universities/public sector/private sector
•Tackling issues of economic growth and development through innovation
and research & development.
•Addressing youth unemployment and social inclusion through social innovation
•Benefits of cross collaboration – match funding, expertise, diverse range of partners,
meeting more needs of the community
Success Factors
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Find the right partner(s)
Begin now, don’t wait.
Choose a fit for purpose structure
Look beyond a single opportunity (e.g.
European infrastructure funds)
• Talk to the LEP
How to get started?
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Bring partners together
Seed corn/set up funding
Business/ Project plan
Outcomes/ interventions
Supply chain development/who does what
Develop and write bids
Win!!!
Working up Project ideas
• What would the project look like?
• What would deliverables be?
• What might be an appropriate consortium
model?
• On what basis would you select partners?
Start up Funding
• Community Services Grants
• Up to £10k, available to any organisation with an interest in delivering a
public service. Specific mission to support consortia.
• For more information:
• http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/communityrights/
• http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-challenge/grants/
• As part of their application, organisations are encouraged to fill out an
online ‘Contract Readiness Checker’
• http://www.contractreadinesschecker.org.uk/