Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly

Annual Assembly 2017

Welcome

• Introduction• Housekeeping• Agenda

Rachel Wintle, VCSA Board Chair

Achievements 2016/17

Representation on working

groups

Social Prescribing

STP and Health Partnerships

Big Conversation

2016/17

Change and Compact Group

Town and Parish Councils

Campaign Work

Social Inclusion Work

2016/17

• The VCS Assembly Board• Our Vision and Values• Making a difference

Quick Fire Updates from Key

Partners

Shropshire Association of Local Councils (SALC)

David Beechey, Chair

Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

Sonia Roberts, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector

Representative on the Marches LEP Board

Growth HubsGrowth Hubs are local public/private secotr partnerships led by the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). They join up national and local business support so it is easy for businesses to find the help they need. There is a networking of 39 hubs.

Both the www.gov.uk website and the Business Support Helpline also offer advice about starting up a business and can direct business to more support. Businesses can call 0300 456 3565 to speak to a business support advisor (9am – 6pm Monday to Friday).

LEP Overlaps

36

MARCHES GROWTH HUB

1. Black Country

2. Buckinghamshire Thames Valley

3. Cheshire & Warrington

4. Coast to Capital

5. Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly

6. Coventry & Warwickshire

7. Cumbria

8. Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire

9. Dorset

10. Enterprise M3

11. Gloucestershire

12. Greater Birmingham & Solihull

13. Grt. Cambridge Grt. Peterborough

14. Greater Lincolnshire

15. Greater Manchester

16. Heart of the South West

17. Hertfordshire

18. Humber

19. Lancashire

20. Leeds City Region

21. Leicester & Leicestershire

22. Liverpool City Region

23. London

24. New Anglla

25. North East

26. Northamptonshire

27. Oxfordshire

28. Sheffield City Region

29. Solent

30. South East

31. South East Midlands

32. Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire

33. Swindon & Wiltshire

34. Tees Valley Unlimited

35. Thames Valley Berkshire

36. The Marches

37. West of England

38. Worcestershire

39. York, North Yorks & East Riding

Midlands Engine

What is the Midlands Engine?

The Midlands Engine initiative looks to make the West and East Midlands an engine for growth

for the UK economy. It is being backed by business,local authorities and 11 Local Enterprise

Partnerships including The Marches LEP.

The Midlands Engine initiative looks to make the West and East Midlands an engine for growth for the UK economy. It is being backed by business, local authorities and 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships including The Marches LEP.

The Midlands Engine Strategy is about making the Midlands a powerful engine for economic growth. Stretching from Shropshire to Lincolnshire, with the M1, M6, and most of our major railways lines running through it, the Midslands sits at the very heart of the UK economy. Building on the modern Industrial Strategy, the Midlands Engine Strategy sets out the actions being taken to address productivity barriers across the Midlands, enabling businesses to create more jobs, export more goods and services, and grow their productivity.

Graham Wynn sits on the Midlands Engine Strategic Board representing The Marches LEP.

Enterprise Zone

Hello there I Log In I Contact

Latest from Marches LEP

SME manufacturers urged to have their

say in the next Nationa l Manufacturing

Barometer

24th April 2017

Skylon Park in Hereford is the designated Enterprise Zone of the Marches LEP.

Small to Medium sized manufacturers (SMEs) in

the UK are being urged to take part in the next

National Manufacturing ...Read More •

Organisations join forces for the first time

for THE Business Event 2017

7th April2017

Shropshire's business support organisations

are joining forces for the first time in 2017 for an

unmissable event aimed at helping ...Read More»

Enterprise Zone at the Rotherwas Estate

Newsletter Archive

With a unique defence and security sector focus, building on Hereford’s association with UK special forces as the home of the SAS, it offers a high-quality business space in a parkland setting.

The 72-hectare site has undergone a multi-million investment in infrastructure, including site clearing, road building and the introduction of superfast broadband. Five investors are already onsite, with four of the developments being delivered by local contractors, creating more than 100,000 sq ft of business space.

Further potential investors including pioneering and innovative enterprises from the advanced engineering, food and drink and sustainable technologies sectors, growing together to create a vibrant and dynamic business community.

Companies are invited to create their own place within the Masterplan of Skylon Park, giving flexibility for a space which best suits their operations in a central UK and European location.. It is also within an hour and half drive of the international airports and Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff. The 72 ha site already benefits from the Rotherwas access road, giving the estate quick and easy access to the A49, M50 and the rest of the motorway network.

European Structural and Investment Fund

The Marches region has been allocated approximately £95 million of EU funding for projects being developed and delivered between 2014 and 2020.

The Marches LEP has developed a European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) strategy which sets out priority areas where this funding should be

directed. The European Regional Development Fund,European Social Fund and European Agricultural Rural Development Fund form the

totalallocation and key areas which funded projects must support are:

• Research and Innovation

• SME Competitiveness

• ICT

• Low Carbon Economy

• Environment

• Employment and Skills

• Social Inclusion

An ESIF committee has been appointed to oversee the programme and projects for an initial three year term.

The committee will have a strategic role and be involved in prioritising investments.

It includes representatives from the business,education and skills,rural and voluntary and community sectors, the three local authorities and a representative from the

LEP. Some of this funding is already available for business support,and details of these schemes can be found on the Marches Growth Hub.

Herefordshire Group Training Association (HGTA)Capital works will be completed by 31 March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £83,267 and other public funding of £83,267.Hereford and Ludlow CollegeCapital works will be completed by 31 March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £197,400 and other public funding of £394,800.SBC TrainingCapital works will be completed by 31st March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £50,000 and private sector leverage of £100,000.Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology CICCapital works will be completed by 31 March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £1,922,095 and private sector leverage of £823,756.Hereford and Ludlow College/HGTACapital works will be completed by 31 March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £464,763, private sector leverage: £122,100 and other public funding of £77,084.Shrewsbury Colleges GroupCapital works will be completed by 31 March 2017.Project funding – Growth Deal funds: £425,166 and other public funding of £182,214.

Infrastructure

Major infrastructure projects funded via the LEP's Growth Deal with Government are under

wayin Herefordshire,Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Shropshire Infrastructure Projects

GROWTH

DEALSTelford & Wrekin Infrastructure Projects

Herefordshire Infrastructure Projects

As wellas the infrastructure projects,the Government made a commitment in the Marches Growth Deal to working with the

LEP and its partner,Telford & Wrekin Council, to develop a way in which the sale of Homes and Community Agency land

could benefit the local area.

For more on this, click on the link below

£44m HCA Land Deal

A further key infrastructure project is the development of the LEP's designated Enterprise Zone at Skylon Park.

Strategic Economic Plan

Accelerating Growth through Opportunity

Shropshire Council

Clive Wright, Chief Executive

Helen RiceCEO, Advising Communities

Advising CommunitiesThe Changing Landscape – Finding opportunities

in a difficult funding environment

Sector OverviewVoluntary sector funding stagnated over the last 5 years

Significant redistribution from small – large organisation

Smaller organisations have a “capacity crunch” making it really hard to adapt

Significant barriers for charities seeking to engage with public service contracting

Government grants at an all time low

Significant growth in income from individuals is because of fees charged by organisations not donations

What are seeing organisationally

Year on year rises in demand for services

A need to work in much closer partnerships to resolve problems for our clients

Support from Local Authorities and other public bodies reduce

Staffing resourcing is stretching with more complex clients needs

Increased innovations around the development of our brand and

Use of technology to meet demand increasing

Adult social care crisis

Local Authority funding, due to it’s decline and changes in demographics and needs, mean that future local authority budgets will largely be reallocated as follows – 80% of funding for adult social care and 20% of children’s young people’s services

Commissioning in LA’s – centralising to one unit in adult and children’s services… there wont be money for anything else!

It is now an acute service with very little appetite for wider prevention work.

Health and Wellbeing

The development of the wellbeing agenda is shifting many VCS agencies into this space

The early action commission identifying the need for community services to take pressure away from acute services

Health and wellbeing outcomes are coming into the VCS space bringing challenge and opportunity

We developed a wider supporting Wellbeing Service deliver a “take charge model” wide a wide range of action planning models similar to a ‘patient activation measure’

What skills do we need

Research

Sociability

Creativity

Opportunistic

Self motivated

Business development

Charm. People give to who they like

People work with who they like

Analysis – What do we have to give?

What opportunities do we have in the market?

Digital developments

Using expertise in a different way

Filling a gap in the market

Why are we needed?

How can we transform ourselves?

In what we do… how we do it.. To whom we do it…. Can we cross subsidise?

Our story

1. Utilised our expertise to grow – local – regional – national

Events management

Facilitation skills

Finance function to share

2. Analysed the market and developed services that we could sell

Paid for Immigration and Employment services

Multilingual London

3. Opportunistically took over services that could help us grow and met the need

www.haveigotaproblem.com and the development of our services to organisation

Refreshments and Networking

Ann Harris,

Big Lottery Fund

Supporting great ideas

Big Lottery Fund: Funding Priorities

Ann Harris May 2017

Overview

─ Funding opportunities and the current funding environment

─ Big Lottery Fund priorities and our direction of travel in the

way we work and fund

─ What sort of information BIG is looking for and how to link it

together to make a strong case for funding

Big Lottery Fund is the largest community

funder in the UK. Last year we distributed

£700m to 12,000 projects, using money raised

by National Lottery players.

Most of our grants go to local charities, run by

volunteers – and whether the grant is for

£500, or £5m, our funding is used by

communities across the UK to support

amazing projects led by local people.

Our Responsive Funding Programmes

Small Grants

— Awards for All England £300 - £10,000 for 12 months

1 stage application – decision in 8 weeks

Medium/Large Grants

— Reaching Communities Revenue £10,000 up to £500,000

(includes small capital projects up 1 – 5 years

to £100,000) 2 stage application – decision in 9 months

We are in a process of transition, so keep an eye on our website!

Our guiding principles

We undertook a wide consultation and many conversations during 2014:

•You told us that people should take the lead in improving their lives and communities

• So our approach will focus on what matters to communities, not what’s the matter with them

•We want to fund project ideas which draw out the potential and harness the local knowledge, skills and energy within local communities

How we work with others:

-Listening to peoples ideas

- Simple, responsive processes

- Good judgements using our knowledge

How the people we support workwith their communities:

- What matters to people

- Working together to create thebiggest impact for communities

Enabling people in communities to take the lead

So - what will all this look like?

- Simpler guidance for Reaching Communities which reflects our new priorities

- RC buildings has now closed

- Online applications for Awards for All hopefully by Summer 2017

- Developing funding programmes and opportunities

- Local, more flexible ways of working so that we find the best ideas in communities

- More conversational, collaborative working and supporting local partnerships to tackle

social problems together

Putting people in the lead

We are interested in project ideas

that support

Relationships

Early action Places and spaces

Our funding priorities are

interconnected

Relationships

Early action Places and spaces

Why is providing evidence of need so

important?

─ High demand for limited resources

─ Prove that you understand the community and their needs

─ Prove that you haven’t made assumptions

─ Show the scale of the issues your project will address

─ Prove why your project is the best way of meeting the need

you have identified

How much evidence do you need to

provide?

Depends on:

─ The scale of the problem and

─ Capacity of your organisation

─ How much funding you are

─ applying for

....... the important thing is to make a strong case

Research services in your area

─ Is other work being done locally to support your beneficiaries?

─ Will your project fill a gap in services?

─ Does it support local priorities?

─ Are there any similar projects in your area?

─ What has BIG funded in your area already?

Involve your beneficiaries─ Taking part in surveys and focus groups

─ Contributing to project planning and design

─ Participating in day to day running

─ Represented on steering group / project board

─ Included in reviews and evaluations of project success

Partnership working

•Consultation with other stakeholders and organisations

•Working with other organisations to enhance your project

activities/idea

•Eradicating duplication

Support and Guidance Available

www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

─ Programme Guidance Notes and webinars

─ Good Practice Guides e.g. equalities, involving young people

─ Case studies of successful projects

─ BIG Advice Line: 0345 10 20 30

─ Email enquiries: general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk

Any Questions?

VCSA Board 2017/18

Voluntary and Community Sector Annual Assembly

Chris Child – Vice Chair

Value of the sector

Independence of perspective and purpose

Relationship builders

Keeping it real

Representing all interests and communities

Encourages resilience and efficiency

Why an Assembly?

Voice

Representation

The Board• What is it’s purpose?

• The mouthpiece?• The brain?

• How does it work?• Who is needed?

Issues we’ve identified

Board meetings tending to be overwhelmed with items resulting from

national policy / cuts

Health and social care agenda dominates

Many say not relevant to them - reactive approach

Variation in awareness / interest in work of Board

Limited resources – no finances and limited time

Issues we’ve identified

Some forums of interest are

not meeting / have disbanded

– so their area of interest is not

represented on the Board

VsSome forums of interest are

still active and feel strongly

about maintaining their

representation on VCSA

Board

Voice / RepresentationWhat does this mean to you and your organisation? How would you like VCSA Board to represent you?

What would help you to spread the word about the Assembly and encourage membership?

How do we continue to represent the diversity of interests across the sector where forums don’t exist? What would a diverse Board look like?

What qualities and understanding is needed to represent the sector?

The Value of the sector

Independence of perspective

Relationship builders

Keeping it Real

Representing all interests and communities

Resilience / Efficiency

Brokering better ways of working

Impact especially on vulnerable

Affordable / creative solutions

Opportunities?Brokerage

New Council and Councilors

University

Board membership – eg Health & Wellbeing

Impact / Vulnerable Communities

Data Protection and Welfare Reform

Social Value Charter

Campaigning

Affordable / Creative Solutions

Change and Compact Group

Shropshire Provider Consortium

Group Work• Anything you’ve heard which you

particularly like?• Anything you would like to change or

add? Anything new or different?• What do you think are the priorities for

the Assembly in the next 12 months?• Any other questions / comments – post

it notes (or ask during discussion)

….and finallyTry something new

Co opt 2 or 3 new independent Assembly Board members over the summer .

We want to hear from people with a passion for community, voluntary and social enterprise sector, could represent small charities or Trustees or could be totally independent and not represent anyone – but be a champion for the sector.

We want people to challenge us to see if their perspective can bring anything to the Board and the way we do things.