EU funding 2014-2020 Programme
Lancashire
John Hacking, Senior European Officer
Network for Europe
Presentation aims
• An overview of emerging priorities for EU funds in the new
programme
• European Structural funds in Lancashire
• Focus:
– Opportunities in the social inclusion, worklessness,
skills/employment agenda and social enterprise
– Delivering the new programmes in the future
Europe 2020
• Smart
• Sustainable
• Inclusive
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European Structural and Investment
Funds 2014-2020 – LEPs
Lead role for LEPs – notional 7 year allocations
• Voluntary partnerships between local authorities and
businesses formed in 2011 by the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills to help determine local economic
priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within
its local area
– 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
European Structural and Investment
Funds 2014-2020 – LEP role
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Developing strategy, working with wide range of partners
Production of ESIF
Selecting projects (commissioning, bidding and co-financing)
Identification of 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)
ESIF 2014-2020: Governance
• ESIF Growth Programme Board
– development of the ESIF Growth Programme
– co-ordination with other programmes
– strategic and operational impact and alignment with complementary
growth measures
• Managing authority
– Overseeing application process, ensuring eligibility,
– Claims and payments
– Audit responsibility
• Local Monitoring Committee
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Ensure local operational delivery
Oversee development of pipeline of proposals
Make recommendations for investment
Monitoring performance at local level
European Structural and Investment
Funds 2014-2020
European Structural and Investment
Funds 2014-2020
LEP: ESIF Plan Development
• Local area characteristics, evidence base and vision
– Formulating business case
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Priorities and distribution across themes
Match funding (opt-ins and delivery tools)
Outputs and Results
Delivery arrangements
– Local Governance
– Cross Cutting Themes
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Consultation
Second (final) LEP submission
Negotiations with EU Commission
England Operational Programme
How we access the programme?
Two routes for making funding available: ‘calls’ or ‘ESF Opt-Ins’
• Call: open invitation for applicants to submit proposals against a
published specification issued by the Managing Authority
• Opt-in: a procurement process undertaken by the Opt-In
organisations working with LEPs
• For ESF programmes delivered through Opt-in organisations,
applications will go through the Opt-in Organisations who will
be responsible for procuring ESF activity
• Opt in organisations include
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DWP
Skills Funding Agency
Big Lottery Fund
National Offender Management Service
Requirements for access
External considerations
• Local programmes: knowledge and familiarity of local strategies
- where do you fit?
• Financial pressures: push towards larger contracts remains
• Demonstrating capability: Quality standards, track record,
capacity to delivery, measuring impact
• Likely to access as:
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Lead contractor
Partner
Sub-contractor
Second level subcontractor
Lancashire LEP Area
• The strategic themes of Lancashire’s European
Investment Plan build upon the LEPs Business
Plan, and reflect investment in economic
sectors which are likely to produce growth in
the Lancashire economy.
• Investing in Strategic Infrastructure, Devpt and Environmental
Resilience
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• Boosting Business Growth and Innovation
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Promoting Growth Sectors and Supply Chains
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Encouraging Inward Investment and Marketing
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Driving the Skills for Growth
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Creating opps for Disadvantaged Communities & Groups 33
• LEP Area ESIF Committee not met yet.
• First meeting “early November”
• VCSE reps are Graham Whalley from ONE
Lancashire and Elizabeth Taylor from
Bootstrap Enterprises.
• BLF/Project Development Fund
• ONE Lancashire/NFE submitted bid
• Events through Nov 14 to Jan 15 (like this
one!!)
Timetable
Key Programme Dates
• December: Operational Programmes expected to be adopted;
• November: Calls and guidance information to be provided to
partners;
• December/January: Designation of the GPB as the formal
Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) for Structural Funds
in the Growth Programme.
End-October
• LEP areas produce indicative outputs and spend forecasts* as preparation
for the Operational Programme discussions with the European
Commission. *Local Implementation Plans
Mid-October
• First LEP Area ESIF committees meet in shadow form and start to discuss
pipeline, CLLD plans and Local Implementation Plans.
February
• MA finalise specifications with local partners and prepares first call.
Spring 2015 onwards
• First expected investments on the ground, including through Opt-in
• The BLF Opt In Timetable will be a variation from this overall ESF timetable
However!!
• The general slow progress of programme starts for this new period has
triggered a serious issue which could lead to significant delays in further
OP adoption:
• With so many OPs now not due to be agreed until 2015, the EU will need
to transfer the commitments for 2014 into 2015 and thus possibly to
amend the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework.
• The consequence of this could delay agreement of the UK’s operational
programmes by 6 months.
• The English ESF Operational Programme has received formal written
comments and a number of issues still need to be ironed out.
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• DCLG has not yet received written comments on the ERDF draft
Operational Programme; it is understood this has a greater number of
issues to be resolved.
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