Community Renewal Fund Programme Performance Report - 30/06/22
Programme Overview - What is the Community Renewal Fund?
What is the overall Programme Status?
Finance Green On track to meet the spend profile
Outputs Amber → ESE Grant outputs being monitored as behind on delivery - mitigation measures now in place
Delivery Green The Programme is performing well in terms of delivery
What are our key updates?
RTNZ
Work was slow to start with contracts not being signed off and the extension pending. Delivery is now well underway and will meet the output targets within new deadlines
There is steady stream of clients being seen, some are slower than others to attend workshops, 121 and then start their business. There are at least 9 workshops on offer each week
Once there are a number of starts recorded then the uptake of apps and grants will happen, they are part of the second phase of delivery.
Clients are keen on the additional support for Net Zero/sustainability workshop and decarbonisation plan, also good take up of the Clarity 4D offering(management style diagnostic)
Delivery is across all of Norfolk and Suffolk, support can be accessed electronically or face to face.
What is our financial position?
Road to Net Zero achieved
Target end Jun 22 Outstanding Q4 2021 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022
Norfolk £659,220.00 £236,490.70 £422,729.30 £10,365.28 £52,889.70 £173,235.72
Suffolk £523,300.00 £284,644.03 £238,655.97 £7,215.67 £38,223.63 £239,204.73
Total £1,182,520.00 £521,134.73 £661,385.27 £17,580.95 £91,113.33 £412,440.45
Enabling Self Employment
Norfolk £621,316.00 £117,541.73 £503,774.27 £16,825.88 £67,575.67 £33,140.18
Suffolk £404,126.00 £103,571.86 £300,554.14 £15,813.53 £58,174.44 £29,583.89
Total £1,025,442.00 £221,113.59 £804,328.41 £32,639.41 £125,750.11 £62,724.07
What is the project status?
Overall: Amber → àà
RTNZ Grants Green →
RTNZ Consultancy Amber →
RTNZ Challenge Fund Amber →
ESE Support Green →
ESE Grants/Voucher
Red →
RTNZ
ESE
ESE
Grants mostly allocated. Many already defrayed particularly in Suffolk. Proportional allocations largely met. By mid-July all grants were provisionally allocated subject to final approvals
5 Challenge Fund projects agreed: 3 in Norfolk and 2 in Suffolk. 3 are due to complete by the end of July with the other two running to the end of September
Research work due in early August - results will feed into ongoing comms work including the Clean Growth for Business events scheduled to align with COP27
Chambers' work on events and messaging ongoing and gaining strong support
Quarterly Stats
What are the next steps?
Continue to work through the Growth Hub to ensure delivery of grants and consultancy - using BTTNZ as a selling feature
Work with the evaluators to ensure the effective delivery of business support and net zero moving forward
Continue to work with all partners and promote the start up support and net zero consultancy
Continue to work with partners, including local authorities and membership organisations, to promote the support available to as many businesses and individuals as possible.
At the end of June NO grants had been claimed - grants were always expected to be profiled towards the backend of the programme but a
risk mitigation meeting was held on 05/07 with delivery partners and mitigation measures put in place as more had hoped to have been
achieved by now.
Making good progress towards our targets
Difficult to attract clients: Business Transition To Net Zero (BTTNZ) Programme should help
Good progress by all projects but no claims to date
Making good progress towards our targets but need to redress MENTA/Nwes imbalance
Continue to work with partners to ensure output delivery
The Community Renewal Fund invests in projects that cover one or more of the investment priorities of skills, community and place, local business and supporting people into employment. New Anglia LEP
submitted funding applications for projects in both Norfolk and Suffolk counties and under each of the latter two priorities.
• Road to Net Zero (RTNZ) Business Support Programme - Pilot initiative designed to pro-actively pivot business support and grants on a net zero future, building business advice expertise, and developing a
portfolio of tested interventions which can be rolled out further in future and consisting of amongst others:
• Enabling Self Employment - With the clean growth strategic driver threaded through them, the projects will deliver self employment advice (with an emphasis on the needs of deprived groups and
communities). It will offer crucial support as businesses emerge from the furlough scheme and many individuals are considering career choices as a result. The projects therefore target both employed and
unemployed people - reaching out to those currently on furlough or who are under-employed and economically vulnerable, as well as to unemployed people and smaller of businesses severely impacted by
COVID.
• The Chambers' of Commerce will develop consistent messaging through online material and events to share best practise and develop understanding of the agenda
• In addition to non-financial support there will be Support Grants to tackle barriers to engagement with the provision, Start-Up Grants to support digital or online marketing. These will be up to £2,500 (50%
intervention rate). Laptop vouchers of up to £500 will also be available to enable digital access.
Originally set to run from August 21 to Mar 22, the programme was delayed and finally commenced on 3/11/21. The end date, originally Jun 22 has now been extended to Dec 22.
• RTNZ Grants between £1,000 and £25,000 (75% intervention rate): 1-3 days RTNZ Consultancy (100% funded); RTNZ Challenge Fund up to £25,000+VAT (100% funded)
An evaluation of each project will take place to shape future activity
• UEA and UoS will research and map sectoral opportunities in the net zero journey and define what businesses want/need to help them understand the scale of the decarbonisation challenge