Welcome to
North East Regional Network
Meeting
Locality Local Update
Debbie Lamb
Locality North East
Regional Meeting
Funding Opportunities
and Events
Debbie Lamb
Community Assets and Services
• Community Asset Acquisition
• Contracting
• Pre-feasibility - £5k-£10k
• Feasibility - £10k-£100k
• http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/communityrights/
Community Led Project Support
• HCA fund
• Support for:
– Community Right to Build
– Planning permission for houses, shops,
community facilities
• http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk
/community-led-project-support
Coastal Communities Fund
• BIG
• Priorities
– Economic development
– Jobs
• Closing date 30 April 2014
• Grants of £50k+
• BIG Coastal Communities Fund
Community Investment Fund
• SIB
• £250,000 and £1m
• Community based, locally led
organisations
• Debt and equity funding
• http://socialandsustainable.com/commu
nity-investment-fund/
Prince’s Countryside Fund
• Rural Areas - Four themes:
– Rural Isolation
– Decline of Rural communities
– Low Farming Incomes
– Lack of access to training
• Closing date 10 April
• http://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/
Lloyds Bank Foundation
• New programme – opens April 2014
– Invest – flexible long-term core funding
– Enable – smaller short term grants
– Enhance – support to meet development
needs
• Lloyds Bank Foundation
BIG Potential
• Getting investment ready
• Diagnostic
• Grants for specialist support
• Open now – no deadlines
• http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/bigpotential
Social Accounting Network
• Conference in Newcastle
• Friday 4th April 2014
• Newcastle University Business School
• http://www.socialauditnetwork.org.uk/e
vents-training/san-conference-2014/
Locality Events
• 12 June: North East Regional Policy
Roundtable
• 8 October: North East Regional Network
Meeting
• 17 and 18 November: Convention in
Cardiff
www.locality.org.uk
debbie.lamb@locality.org.uk
Welcome New Members
• Back on the Map – Hendon, Sunderland
Locality’s interest
• Birtley Community Partnership
Welcome New Members
• Sharing Power Solutions
Diseconomies of Scale
Neil Berry, Locality
Charlotte Pell, Vanguard Consulting
Locality’s interest
• Experience of our Members over many years
• Introduction of Work Programme
• Myths about economy of scale – esp in services
“immutable law of economics”
• Lack of any real evidence base
• Encouragement from others
Methodology
• Third sector experience
o
Financial data from 139 VCS organisations
aspiring to deliver public services
o
Survey responses from 96 VCS organisations
o
Follow up depth interviews with 9 cases
• End-user experience
o
Analysis of thousands of demands
presented on the system, using
“Vanguard Method” techniques
The Vanguard Method
• Change starts by studying, getting knowledge of the “what and
why” of performance as a system (we never start change with a
“plan”)
• It studies services end-to-end
• It understands service-user demands, following them through
the services in order to understand how and how well the
services work.
• It identifies the system conditions that hinder the achievement of
purpose from the services users perspective.
© Vanguard Consulting Ltd
www.vanguard-method.com
What we found
• Scale thinking is rife
71.2% of aspiring VCS orgs fail the 25% “rule”
• Scale thinking is destroying social capital
Loosening of bonds and multipliers – local SW case study
Organisations going bust due to unit-cost squeeze
• Scale takes vast resource away from the front line
Mega-contracts typically 35-55% management costs
• Potential savings are massive
estimated £16bn worth of diseconomies
The Drivers to Scale
1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of postcode lotteries
3. System efficiencies (QA, development costs)
4. Internal management convenience
5. Belief in economies of scale
Call to Action
Efficiency comes from Effective
services, so these must:
• Be “Local by Default”
• Help people to help themselves
• Focus on purpose, not outcomes
• Manage value, not cost
web: www.localitybrokers.org.uk
email: info@localitybrokers.org.uk
Locality Brokers is on a mission…
….to partner property professionals
with aspirational community
enterprises to transform land and
buildings for local and mutual
benefit.
… to help community asset projects
get off to a good start with the
support of our expert Brokers.
Neighbourhood Planning
How we help community organisations
Brokerage support :
• Initial assessment and agree a plan
• Prepare a clear and project brief,
• Apply for pre-feasibility & feasibility funds if
appropriate
• Advice on governance arrangements & business
planning
• Advice on selection and appointment of property
professional
How we help community organisations
Online webinars – start 25th Feb
Making decisions about your project? Project governance &
accountability
What’s the process? The RIBA stages of work & communicating your
project concept. Ben Downie, Director, Inkpen Downie Architecture &
Design Ltd
Business plan vs building planning? Constructing a viable business plan
Jonathan Platt, GCP Architects
What if it goes wrong? Due diligence – issues for managing risk Ian
Lush, The Architectural Heritage Fund
Who do we need to help us? How to choose and appoint your property
professionals Lorraine Hart Community Land Use.
How we help property professionals
Contract Opportunity Service
• newsletter alert to current opportunities.
Brokerage support
• Help you reach a clear and mutual working arrangement
with a community organisation
Directory of suppliers: Online and searchable by all.
Promotion
• Blog from ‘pocket parks’ to ‘interior design’
• Advertising on the Locality Brokers website
What they’ve said so far:
“The support of the Broker was so important because she
knew about other projects and other approaches that we
could consider ...” Becky Jeffcoate, Wells Maltings Trust,
Norfolk matched with local architect Rupert Kitchen of LSI
Architects
“The Service provides an opportunity through its
structured process for firms to differentiate
between “wheel kickers” and those with a serious
intent. As it is part of something bigger there is
pressure for everyone to perform well.” Firm’s
feedback to the evaluator of the pilot service
Partnering professionals with
aspirational community
sector organisations
to transform
communities
web: www.localitybrokers.org.uk
email: info@localitybrokers.org.uk