Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council will be holding a number of Information Sessions, hosted by Interlink, during April 2021 and subsequently inviting bids for the UK Community Renewal Fund.
The Fund was announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Budget earlier this month and further detail provided to Local Authorities on 18 March.
Current UK Government Information on the Fund is available here.
Administered nationally by the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government, and at a local level by Local Authorities, a range of project applicants, including but not limited to; education providers; third; voluntary and community sector organisations, will be able to submit bids to the Council.
These projects will then be ranked on meeting local or Strategic identified need, and will be sent to the Ministry for consideration and approval. This is a competitive process where not all applications will be successful.
The bids will focus attention on the development areas of:
- Investment in skills
- Investment for local business
- Investment in communities and place
- Supporting people into employment
Local Authorities will be able to submit a shortlist of bids from their area up to a maximum value of £3m.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “Rhondda Cynon Taf has been identified as one of the 100 areas of the UK that could potentially benefit from the Community Renewal Fund.
“We welcome this funding announcement, however, we must acknowledge that the timescales placed on the funding by UK Government are unnecessarily restrictive in the current circumstance, adding additional pressure on the Council while resources are currently prioritised to support the fight against Covid-19.
“If we are successful in our application, this funding will help to support our local businesses and community groups to develop and improve opportunities and skills for residents.”
All approved Projects must complete during 2021/22 (up to March 2022)
The final list of priority bids must be submitted by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government by noon on June 18, 2021.
Details of the Local Information Sessions and how to apply for the Community Renewal Fund will follow soon.
Please do not yet submit applications as the Fund is not yet open.
Posted on 16/04/2021