To receive an overview, by way of presentation, on the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) and the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). This will also include an update on the year 3 delivery plan.
Minutes:
The Group received a presentation, and NOTED, an update from the Economic Development Team Leader providing an overview of the Shared prosperity Fund (SPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) Year 2 and the Year 3 Delivery Plan.
This included the following summary information:
Love Your Town Centre
‘Love Your Town Centre’ was a flexible funding mechanism offering small grants through a competitive bidding process with four strands aimed at improving the town centre and increasing the vibrancy and vitality of our three main markets towns: Crediton, Cullompton and Tiverton. This included:
a) Shopfront Enhancement Schemes.
b) Vibrant Town Centre Scheme.
c) Vacant Shop and Business Growth Scheme (Year 2 onwards).
d) Digital High Streets Scheme (Year 2 onwards).
e) For year two, we also contributed towards the Cullompton Heritage Action Zone public realm enhancement project.
The Cullompton Scheme had funding from GED to support delivery of the HAZ shopfront scheme. The team intends to use the underspend returned to us towards a new shopfront scheme that aligns with the Tiverton and Crediton schemes and it had already received two enquiries.
Vibrant Town Centres
This had been a popular scheme and helped to support 68 events and activities in our town centres.
In addition to the events supported and grants offered outputs, the scheme also supported 10 volunteering opportunities.
The scheme continued this year with the first round already complete and more events and activities funded including the Tiverton Literary Festival, Crediton’s Big Boniface Bash and an arty party in Cullompton amongst others. The next round was in the autumn, which would complete the programme for this year.
Across the LYTC scheme, through engagement with the team, we have achieved additional outputs of 15 businesses receiving non-financial support (including signposting, advice and guidance) and supported 12 businesses who were taking on empty units. 9 commercial properties were improved within year 2 and the remaining applicants are on schedule to complete their improvements this year.
This year, all four schemes would continue with open applications for shopfront, digital high street and business growth.
Field to Fork
This focused on promoting direct supply, ‘buy local’ campaigns and linking local food producers and businesses.
There are three key strands to this project:
· Buy Local Campaigns
· Networking Support
· Showcasing Events
The ‘Meet the Producer’ project supported 14 of our producers and their food retailers as presented at the last PDG. The Team would continue this project this year focusing on food tourism businesses.
Under networking support, the team funded free membership (for 12 months) for local food businesses with Food Drink Devon (FDD). FDD was a Community Interest Company, membership organisation was made up of hospitality, retail, food and drink producers and support businesses from the County. Their aim was to support and promote members and raise Devon’s culinary profile as a whole.
Off the back of the Membership scheme, we also worked with FDD on ‘Meet the Expert’ networking events including an event in Westpoint towards the end of the financial year.
In addition to businesses supported, Field to Fork had also achieved a reach (which means engagement) of 39,898.
This year the team had an expression of interest for a grant to a local producer to host a Taste Mid Devon event. This was now in application stage and more information would be shared at the next PDG.
The team were continuing to work with Mid Devon Show this year to provide free space for Mid Devon producers attending for the first time. Six producers had already booked and a number of other businesses had expressed an interest.
At this year’s show, the team would have a Taste Mid Devon tent bringing producers together. The team would also have a stand in the tent promoting the Farm Shop Trail and a special swan guest with them.
Visitor Economy
Visitor Economy focuses on linking to outputs around promoting Mid Devon as a tourism destination and supporting leisure and tourism businesses. There are three main themes being:
· Promoting Mid Devon
· Tourism Events
· Campaigns and Competitions
New for this year: Using REPF funding, the team also have a project to create some “welcome to Mid Devon” signage subject to owner consent at gateway locations.
Much of year two was spent on planning and preparing for the Swan Trail and Walking Festival.
The Search Engine Optimiszation enhancement project took place early in year two making improvements to the visibility of the Visit Mid Devon website in results from online search engines. As a result, this has achieved an increased number of web searches for a place of 259,627 in year two.
The campaigns and competitions were run via the Visit Mid Devon Facebook page, promoting a number of our leisure and tourism businesses as well as Mid Devon as a destination.
In total, 47 businesses and organisations (not including duplicates across campaigns) were featured across different promotional activities.
Other Projects
These are mostly the projects the Team were not delivering directly themselves but were working in partnership with external organisations to deliver.
This included:
· Business Support
· People and Skills
· Business Growth and Innovation
· Flexible Workspace
People and Skills
The team awarded a grant to the Apricot Centre in January for provision of regenerative farming training to Mid Devon farmers. An update was expected from them about take-up and delivery at the end of this quarter.
New this year would be the introduction of an Employment and Skills Hub project coordinated by Devon County Council. Many of the Devon authorities had contributed SPF towards this service. This would involve an Advisor based in Mid Devon two days a week offering 1:1 advice, guidance and skills coordination to help economically inactive people and young people access employment.
Business Growth and Innovation
Incorporating grant funding to Petroc College towards the creation of a business innovation centre (COTIE @ Tiverton) and a programme of business innovation outreach activities as outlined in Petroc’s presentation earlier this evening.
Flexible Workspace
There was an amount of REPF and SPF funding for the creation of flexible workspace in year 3 of the delivery programme. The team commissioned a feasibility study in year 2 looking at the Market Centre as a potential location and the study confirmed there was an appetite from the local business community – homeworkers and self-employed – for a site in the town centre. Year 3 would focus on the delivery of this project.
Prosperity Programme
The prosperity programme was the Council’s main grants scheme to support businesses with projects that facilitate growth. This used the bulk of the REPF funding and contributions from SPF.
Over the first year of REPF: 14 businesses were offered grant funding, with one declining the grant offer (with a further two businesses offered funding from SPF at the tail end of Yr 1).
The Economic Development Team Leader was congratulated on her presentation and the successful projects which had been referred to.
Discussion took place with regard to:
· The well deserved appreciation by the Group of the hard working Economic Development Team.
· A leaflet listing all available grants could be circulated.
· It was confirmed that there was no minimum grant request for the Shopfront Scheme, although the paperwork needed to be provided up front.
· The team were easily able to access advice from colleagues in Planning to assist with enquiries.
· With regard to the Shopfront Enhancement Scheme businesses were encouraged to come forward.
· On occasions the paperwork side of things was viewed as bureaucratic, however, it was explained that the Council needed to be compliant with procurement obligations. However, businesses having difficulties with the paperwork or procurement elements were encouraged to speak to the team directly.