Decision details

Decision to undertake separate awards to successful applicants in Round Two of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme for People & Skills (with the Round One and Two processes totalling £1.8m across the SELCP Partnership area). Specifically including the following projects in Boston Borough:

Boston College – Career Advance (£39,585)

The Career Advance Programme offers provision beyond the Adult Education Budget (AEB), aiming to support a cohort of 99 learners across the SELCP area with NQF Level 2-3 training (or equivalent) and a guaranteed job interview with a named local employer, supported by wrap-around employability and life skills support. There will also be peer-to-peer support, a series of guest speakers from industry and project-based interventions to support learners in taking the next step in their career.

Boston Borough Council (SELCP) – The Lincolnshire Academy (£9,957)

The ‘Lincolnshire Academy’ is the proposal to create a long-term academy model at the SELCP, to support the development of a pipeline of talent into key roles. The current areas that represent need are Building Control, Planning and Environmental Health. This proposition will save the taxpayer money through reducing the Council’s reliance on agency staff and will offer local residents not currently employed by the Council (who are the audience for this intervention) with the opportunity to gain the competences required for a long-term, skilled career in the local public sector. 

Boston United Community Foundation – Boston United Education & Training Hub (£40,981)

The Boston United Education & Training Hub is a 1-year project helps people overcome a range of barriers by using the power of football and the local brand of Boston United to create pathways into education, training, volunteering, and employment.  The project’s objectives are:

·       To provide various football themed activities that will engage with a wide variety of people.

·       To provide opportunities to allow people to gain work placements and volunteering experience.

·       To improve people’s soft skills to help them re-engage in employment, education or training.

·       To provide routes into Further & Higher Education

·       For people to improve their mental health, well-being, self-esteem and confidence.

·       To increase the opportunity for people to access vocational sporting qualifications to support the local community.

University of Lincoln – Dynamic Growth (£20,853)

This project will focus on upskilling management within local visitor economy businesses, with a particular focus on small VE businesses (SMEs) and supporting them to grow and innovate. A Dynamic Growth (DG) Course will be offered, supporting those in the sector through micro-credentials (accredited, university level qualifications which can contribute towards an MBA in Leadership), peer-to-peer learning in the Visitor Economy sector and working through assignments that will be specific to the development of their own business. Delivery will include a minimum of 2 days on-site delivery at hubs close to the business (accounting for seasonality in the VE sector). This shall be a small pilot project to test if this model can work in raising productivity within our local businesses and the skills base of our local workforce.

LCVS – SELCP Community Transport (£7,315) (Communities and Place Underspend)

This is utilising an existing in-year underspend that has unexpectedly arisen within the UKSPF Communities and place strand to fund an extension of the Community Transport co-ordination project already operating in East Lindsey and South Holland, ensuring that stakeholders in Boston can now access this service too (this is distinct and separate to the Boston Community Transport proposal funded in Round One).

It must be noted: These projects sit separate to the ringfenced funding available to village halls, parish councils and community spaces (administered by LCF), the fourth round of which shall be determined in April 2024. These projects are also separate to the monies ringfenced for grants to businesses (Grants 4 Growth II), which are now being actively disbursed by the relevant service area within the Council.

As part of HMG’s Levelling Up Agenda and in line with the commitments made by Boston Borough in the UKSPF Prospectus and Investment Plan, we have committed to invest in high-impact projects across three core themes:

·       Communities and place - Supporting community groups and investment in community facilities; enhancing the cultural and heritage offer; widening the use of community buildings; initiatives to help support our town centres.

·       Supporting local business -  Helping local businesses invest for future growth; growing the food processing, horticulture and logistics sector; encouraging new businesses to establish; helping the local social and community enterprises to innovate and grow.

·       People and skills -  Developing skills and employment opportunities within the fresh food, food processing and logistics sectors; creating new training hubs; supporting local residents with skills and access to employment.

These allocations principally meet the objectives that we have committed to under the People and Skills Theme and with the projects passing a rigorous assessment process, we are confident that they can deliver the outcomes expected from the Programme quickly and substantively. This has been the basis of the decision.

These funds were allocated on a competitive basis, based on the second round of submitted applications to the People and Skills Strand of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The alternative would be to not award the funding, which would bring severe reputational risk to the Council both with the public and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.