Agenda Item 8 Report 29/12 Report to National Park Authority Date 11 December 2012 By Director of Strategy and Partnerships Title of Report Sustainable Communities Fund (SCF) & Major Partnership Fund (MPF) Purpose of Report To provide an update on the first eighteen months of the Sustainable Community Fund (SCF) and the Major Partnership Fund (MPF)

Recommendation: the Authority is recommended to: 1) note the progress and the development of the two South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) grant funding programmes

1. Introduction 1.1 This report provides an update to Members of the achievements in the first eighteen months of the Sustainable Communities Fund (SCF) and the Major Partnership Fund (MPF). Sustainable Communities Fund (SCF) 2. Background 2.1 The SCF was established following its official launch on the 1 April 2011. The financial delegation for grant payments lies with the Director of Strategy & Partnerships. To ensure rigorous scrutiny and well informed decision making the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) agreed the establishment of an advisory Grants Panel with external representation. It set the initial criteria for the fund and these have subsequently been reviewed and developed. 2.2 For the first operational year 2011/12 the SDNPA took the decision to invest £0.400 million (£0.200m core funding and £0.200m short term funding) for the SCF. The budget for the current year 2012/13 is £0.300 million (£0.200m core funding and £0.100m short term funding). 2.3 The SCF was established to support community projects that would meet the SDNPA aims and objectives. Particular emphasis was placed on projects that would: • secure the unique and special qualities of the South Downs; • support sustainable rural communities, social enterprise and market towns; • meet the challenges of a 21st Century National Park in the South East; • support innovative sustainability; • involve action by young people; and • promote social inclusion and encouraging links with urban groups and visitors.

3. SCF 2012 Update 3.1 The Grants Panel comprises an independent multi-disciplinary group with external members from key sectors in the South Downs National Park including: land owners, local businesses, environmental groups, third sector, local authorities and tourism. The current list of SCF Panel Members is: • National Park Authority representative Ken Bodfish-Chair • National Park Authority representative Jennifer Gray 9 • Local Access Forums, Communities – Roger Mullenger • South Downs Network, Communities Brian Cheater • Farmers and Land Managers David Ashcroft • Facilities, Tourism – Janet Sinclair • Rural Action, Communities – Jeremy Leggett • Education and Learning Des Lambert 3.2 This year the Panel has held three meetings with three more planned to the end of this financial year. At these meetings, Panel members consider applications to the Sustainable Communities Fund and advise the Director of Strategy & Partnerships accordingly. 3.3 A regular part of the meetings comprises awareness sessions, with opportunities for the Panel members to meet SDNPA staff and discuss their work and learn about the emerging priorities for the South Downs National Park Management Plan (NPMP). 3.4 The extensive research work that has now been collated into the ‘State of the Park’ report, and the emerging priorities for the NPMP, will soon enable clearer criteria for deployment of the SCF.

4. Process of Evaluation and Measurement 4.1 The procedures, policies, criteria and outcomes of the SCF have been gradually refined and out over the past eighteen months. This evaluation is therefore based upon the experience gained over this period. 4.2 The SDNPA has already agreed an overall approach to measuring performance, based on use of input, output, outcome and impact measures. Impact measures are aimed at describing change. For example, whilst a number of young people may have participated in a project (an outcome), it is also important to capture evidence of what has changed as a result of their involvement. Impacts can include social, environmental and economic changes and their measurement will be more appropriate for some projects than others. The external funding team is developing the SCF application form and the monitoring process to include a range of techniques including social feedback forms, interviews, reports and evaluation for applicants to track the ‘impact of the SCF’ and measure change. 4.3 Other measures include return on investment - clarifying the percentage of external funding to that of SCF investment of the total project. A range of other analysis techniques are also being used: a. geographical spread; b. type of project c. match funding d. relationship to Purposes and Duty; e. balance of large (£2-20k) and small grants (below £2k); f. contribution to National Park Management Plan objectives (once finalised); and g. beneficiaries e.g. young people, older people, communities, farmers etc. 4.4 Before submission to the Panel, all SCF applications are shared with the local Area Teams, Strategy Leads, individual Panel members and funding officers as appropriate. A front sheet with a summary of all the comments made in response accompanies each application. These comments help shape ‘Expressions of Interest’ (EOI), inform the Panel’s assessment and guide project delivery, enabled concise and timely decision making. 4.5 The funding officers have extensive knowledge of external match funding opportunities and offer advice to applicants throughout the application process. They help identify the best choice of grant type from local, regional, national and European funding. The officers are also developing partnerships with other funding organisations and exploring opportunities for joint applications to make further external funding available to the South Downs National Park (SDNP).

10 5. Impact of the SCF – Results to date 5.1 The SCF has funded 76 community based projects to date. Examples include: surveying historic buildings for entry into a database; interpretation signage in a meadow; an Oral History of the West Weald; an off-road cycle track feasibility study; the “Heathland through the Ages” and other community events, a feasibility study for Lewes Arboretum; provision of water supply to allotments; Shipwrights Way Art Trail, pond restoration, supporting a local group to open eco-houses to the public to spread awareness, supporting the costs of an outdoor eco classrooms, on-farm classroom, yurts and tipis, provision of cycle racks; archaeological investigation and dig; volunteers maintaining footpaths; wildlife leaflets; Forest Schools; refurbishing a redundant forge and opening it as a community shop; an extension of care farming. A full report of all the applications that have been approved can be found in (Appendix 1). Four case studies of SCF projects can be found as (Appendices 2-5) 5.2 The pie-chart and grid below show the types of organisation who applied successfully for grant funding from the SCF and the number and amount of financial support they received for their projects:

SCF Projects

Social Enterprise Public Sector

Private Sector Other

Community/Voluntary Sector/Charity

Type of Organisation SCF Projects Value of grant £

Community/Voluntary 59 375,079 Sector/Charity Other 3 5,000 Private Sector 2 4,700 Public Sector 10 66,103 Social Enterprise 2 57,750 Total 76 508,632

5.3 The projects come from right across the SDNP, see Geographical spread below.

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Other Across Park Central East West

Central Weat

East

Geographical area No of projects Across Park 5 Central East 6 Central West 17 East 27 West 20 Other 1 Total 76 5.4 The projects also cover a wide range of subject areas The diagram below shows the thematic spread of Projects across the SDNP.

Number of Project

Access and Rural Economy Other Recreation

Learning and Outreach Biodiversity

Heritage Communities

12 Theme Number of Projects

Access and Recreation 12

Biodiversity 8 Communities 18 Heritage 17 Learning and Outreach 14 Other 4 Rural Economy 3

Total 76

5.5 For every £1 invested by the SDNPA, SCF projects attracted an average matched funding of £19.70, (see below).

SCF Grant

External Funding

SCF Other funding £0.508m £10 m 5.6 To date the SCF has provided grant support of £0.508m against total project value of £10.016m. There are a further 25 projects at ‘Applications in Progress’ stage that request funding of £0.196m and there is currently £0.192m remaining in the SCF budget for allocation . Of course, some of these projects may not be approved at Panel. 5.7 The bar chart and grid below show the grant value of projects in each geographical area:

Grant value

180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 Grant value 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 Across Central Central East West Other Park East Weat

Geographical area Grant value £ Across Park 46,182

13 Central East 70,950 Central West 107,517 East 175,580 West 99,403 Other 9,000

5.8 The bar chart and grid below identify the grant value of projects by theme:

Grant value

200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 Grant value 20,000 0 r n ty s e ch e y io i ie g h m t rs it ta a t o a e n ri re O n e iv u e t o cr d u c o m H O E e i m l R B o d a d n r n C a u a g R s in s rn e a c e c L A

Theme Grant value £ Access and Recreation 34,386 Biodiversity 35,028 Communities 96,732 Heritage 126,698 Learning and Outreach 196,186 Other 13,402 Rural Economy 6,200

5.9 The Panel and officers have been working together over the past few months to explore gaps in geographical coverage or theme. Through the past year the SCF team has collated results to form a snapshot of the present situation. This will change over the next year with the emergence of the NPMP. The end of year picture will aid the SDNPA to plan future grant funding in both theme type and area.

6. SCF Celebration Event 6.1 In discussion with the Chair and CEO it has been agreed that there will not be a celebration event for the SCF this year. Instead, a short video competition will be run through the Forum site to highlight projects and community involvement within the SDNP. 6.2 The next SCF celebration event will be integrated into the opening of the South Downs Centre in the Autumn of 2013 and will become a broader celebration of community achievements across the SDNP. Major Partnership Fund (MPF) 7. Background 7.1 The Major Partnership Fund (MPF) was set up in the shadow year of the SDNPA year to fund substantive partnership projects The SDNPA approved a budget for the MPF of £0.300 million for 2011/12, and £0.400 million for 2012/13 .

14 7.2 The Major Partnership Panel (MPP) was established by the SDNPA in 2011. The documentation and the funding procedures have been restructured, refined and simplified over the past six months to make application, monitoring and delivery easier. However, these are significant projects that often involve quite large amounts of public money, so it is important that the SDNPA fulfils its responsibility to ensure a high degree of rigour and accountability. 7.3 The Major Partnership Panel (MPP) comprises the Chair and Deputy Chair of the SDNPA, the Chairs of Resources & Performance, Planning, and Standards & Audit Committees and the Chair of the Sustainable Communities Fund Panel. 7.4 The MPP is not a formally constituted Committee of the Authority and therefore has no powers to approve expenditure. Its principal role is to provide an independent assessment to the Director of Strategy and Partnerships of large grant (£20k +) applications. Where consideration by the Panel leads to a specific project being supported, this may lead to virement of funds internally by the Director of Strategy and Partnerships - from the Resources & Performance approved budget line for Major Projects to the specific project. 7.5 MPF projects can be led by an SDNPA officer or by a partner organisation but there will always be an SDNPA lead for the partnership arrangement. Where, following consideration by the Panel, a specific project is supported, the budget is transferred to the SDNPA lead who project manages the partnership, financial programme and takes day to day responsibility for the project. 7.6 The recent internal audit gave a ‘Reasonable Assurance’ level whilst identifying the need for a more rigorous system for recording grant process information. To rectify this situation the External Funding Team (EFT) is investigating an appropriate data-base system to offer the SDNPA a fit-for-purpose system of financial and project management. 8. Major Partnership Fund (MPF) Project Programme 8.1 The Major Partnership Fund has funded 9 projects across the SDNP. These are: • The ‘In the High Woods’ LIDAR research project and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid, in partnership with the Chichester District Council; • The Wooded Heaths Landscape Project; • The matched funding for the successful bid to DfT’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund, in partnership with Hampshire County Council and the New Forest National Park; • The ‘Our South Downs’ in partnership with the Learning Through Landscape and a network of local partners; • The match funding for the successful bid to Defra for the Nature Improvement Area in partnership with 27 local partners across the SDNP The joint funding with the Forestry Commission of an advisory officer support for the Youth Hostels Association to open a new facility at Itford Farm; • Funding for the volunteer facilities and interpretation as part of the redevelopment of the Forest Enterprise centre at Alice Holt ; creation of new interpretation in partnership with the National Trust at Birling Gap 9. MPF Financial Status 9.1 The total committed in 2012/13 by the MPF is £0.392m with forward commitments for those projects in 2013/14 being £0.309m (Appendix 6). 9.2 The MPF therefore has a balance of £0.308m available to allocate for the rest of this year or to roll forward to fund 2013/14 commitments or new projects. 9.3 There are four new projects potentially in the pipeline for this financial year: Supporting Community development in the SDNP; Mosaic project, Fernhurst Furnace, and developing the SDNPA approach to health and well being. We are aware of two more project bids which may be received in early 2013/14: archaeology of the Brighton Biosphere, and redevelopment of the Curtis Museum in Alton.

15 10. Resources 10.1 The total budget for the SCF over the two year period 2011-2013 is £0.700m of which £0.508m is committed to projects and £0.192m is available for allocation to new schemes. 10.2 The total budget for the MPF over the two year period 2011-2013 is £0.700m of which £0.392m is committed to schemes and £0.309m is available for allocation to new schemes. 10.3 The SCF and MPF operate as ring fenced funds, whereby any unallocated balances and underspend are rolled forward for spending against this fund in the following financial year. The SCF and MPF budgets for the next financial years will be considered as part of the 2013/14 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy and reported to the Authority meeting in March 2013.

11. Risk Management 11.1 Regular monitoring and reporting of the SCF and MPF budgets ensures that grants allocations are made within existing financial resources.

12. Human Rights, Equalities, Health and Safety 12.1 The SCF promotes accessibility; valuing cultural diversity; participation; equality of opportunity; inclusive communities; reducing disadvantage and exclusion.

13. Links to Core Values and Guiding Principles 13.1 The MPF grants are awarded only if they contribute to the core values and guiding principles of the authority. 13.2 The MPF is a tool which the SDNPA will use to achieve the NPMP objective.

14. External Consultees 14.1 Chair of the SCF Panel, Partnership Delivery Manager, External Funding Team.

ANDREW LEE Director of Strategy and Partnerships

Contact Officer: Neil Slatter - External Funding Manager Tel: 01730 811754 email: [email protected] Appendices Appendix 1 SCF Approved Projects Appendix 2 SCF case study: Rother valley forest schools Appendix 3 SCF case study: Milland community shop Appendix 4 SCF case study: Ouse Valley cycle network Appendix 5 SCF case study: Lewes community hedge laying Appendix 6 MPF Finance sheet SDNPA Consultees Chief Executive Officer, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Director of Corporate Services, Director of Planning, Director of Operations, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer, Legal Services

16 Agenda Item 8 Appendix 1 SCF Approved Projects Awarded Organisation Project Title Grant award Total Cost FY2011/12 Burpham and Rebuild Pavilion £2,000.00 £5,197.00 Warningcamp Cricket Club FY2011/12 Eartham Village Hall Kitchen Refurbishment £1,999.00 £7,513.52 FY2011/12 Parish Meeting Alciston Village Pond £1,000.00 £1,380.00 FY2011/12 YMCA Dunford House, Feasibility Study for £1,000.00 £3,500.00 Midhurst woodchip boiler FY2011/12 Midhurst Music Art and Madhurst Festival £1,999.00 £10,000.00 Drama Community Group FY2011/12 Oyster Project, Lewes Community and £1,930.00 £2,700.00 Internet Café FY2011/12 Shipwright’s Way, Alice Shipwrights Way Play £2,000.00 £6,600.00 Holt Forest Ship FY2011/12 Butser Education CIC Foundations and access £30,000.00 £200,000.00 to new visitors centre FY2011/12 Foredown Tower - Foredown Tower £25,000.00 £42,000.00 Portslade Learning Learning and Visitor Community CIC Centre FY2011/12 HKD Transition HKD Transition £1,500.00 £2,800.00 FY2011/12 Lynchmere, Midhurst Timber Trailer and £9,962.40 £47,800.00 Crane FY2011/12 Midhurst Time Bank Midhurst Time Bank £1,500.00 £12,560.00 FY2011/12 Milland Community Shop Community Shop £20,000.00 £165,000.00 FY2011/12 New Farm Horizons Care Farming £2,000.00 £30,000.00 FY2011/12 October Feast Festival, Octoberfest Lewes £745.00 £3,090.00 Lewes FY2011/12 Plumpton Wildlife and Plumpton Habitat £918.00 £1,100.00 Habitat Group Booklet Survey FY2011/12 Rother Valley Primary Rother Valley Forest £21,500.00 £30,000.00 Schools School Training FY2011/12 Smarter Choices Smarter Choices £27,750.00 £39,400.00 Roadshow FY2011/12 Wetland Sussex Wetland £2,000.00 £80,000.00 Landscape Project Landscape Project FY2011/12 Weald and Downland New visitor centre £20,149.92 £27,699.68 Museum FY2011/12 Sussex Wildlife Trust West Weald Walks £2,000.00 £6,000.00 FY2011/12 Plumpton Village Action Footpaths £1,100.00 £2,200.00 Plan - Footpaths FY2011/12 Elizabeth Fitzroy Support Fitzroy Rural Skills £1,797.71 £2,400.00 FY2011/12 Liss Archaeological Western\Liss £1,435.87 £1,913.82 Group Archaelogical Group\Colemore FY2011/12 Stansted Park Foundation Cycle Racks £2,000.00 £2,950.00 FY2011/12 Plumpton Goes Green Plumpton Goes Green £1,756.26 £3,015.15 Team Juicing Project FY2011/12 Telscombe Tye Telscombe Tye £12,000.00 £16,000.00

17 Awarded Organisation Project Title Grant award Total Cost Dewpond Refurbishment FY2011/12 Charleston House Charleston House £20,000.00 £6,300,000.00 FY2011/12 Coultershaw Trust Coultershaw Heritage £20,000.00 £267,250.00 Site FY2011/12 Iford Parish Meeting Iford and Swanborough £550.00 £950.00 Community Embroidery FY2011/12 Wild Wood Charcoal Exeter Charcoal Retort £2,700.00 £10,800.00 and Coppice Products FY2011/12 Fernhurst Furnace Conserve Fernhurst £1,401.60 £5,000.00 Preservation Group Furnace FY2012/13 Shipwrights Way Improvements to £1,025.00 £2,050.00 Partnership Bentley Railway Station Crossing FY2012/13 Plumpton College and South Down Lessons of £2,756.25 £7,350.00 Farming and Countryside the Lanscape Education FY2012/13 Ouse Valley Cycle Ouse Cycle Network £2,000.00 £2,800.00 Network FY2012/13 Catherington Down, Catherington Down £696.50 £968.00 Horndean Interpretation Panels FY2012/13 Winchester County Hampshire Portable £3,000.00 £92,130.00 Council Antiques Scheme FY2012/13 Elsted Archaeological and Investigating Elstead's £1,800.00 £7,000.00 Historical Society Roman Inheritence FY2012/13 Liss Archaeological Community Study of £6,995.05 £45,000.00 Group the Colemore Area FY2012/13 Firle Village Hall Firle Memorial Hall £10,000.00 £200,000.00 Restoration Project FY2012/13 Wild Trout Trust River Restoration on £1,838.87 £2,625.00 the Rother FY2012/13 Earthkeepers The Wild Star £2,000.00 £6,000.00 Gathering FY2012/13 Gilbert White's House Development of Life- £7,500.00 £10,000.00 long learning FY2012/13 Players Consolidated storage £1,500.00 £2,750.00 FY2012/13 Footprints of Sussex Re-opening of the "New £1,318.00 £2,618.00 Lichpis Way" long distance trail FY2012/13 Ashford Hanger Shoulder of Mutton Hill £1,996.00 £2,746.00 Volunteers Access Path FY2012/13 Alciston Church Repair historic flint wall £1,000.00 £11,000.00 FY2012/13 Hampshire Field Club Dendrochronology £675.00 £900.00 and Archaeological dating of Burhunt Farm, Society Selborne FY2012/13 Slindon Forge Slindon Village Shop and £30,000.00 £200,000.00 Cafe FY2012/13 Sustainability Centre Yurts & Tipi £2,000.00 £11,935.00 FY2012/13 Sussex Downs College Outdoor Eco- £2,000.00 £4,000.00 Classroom FY2012/13 Transition Town Lewes Open Eco Houses £860.00 £3,500.00 Approved Sussex Archaeological Guidebooks to the £12,563.00 £16,750.00

18 Awarded Organisation Project Title Grant award Total Cost Society Cultural and Natural Heritage of the South Downs Approved Petersfield Museum Education Packs £10,000.00 £44,100.00 Approved Saddlescombe Farm Saddlescombe Farm £16,999.00 £22,666.00 Approved Wildfowl & Wetland Arundel Riverlife £15,000.00 £79,200.00 Trust Approved Liss Parish Council Walks centred on Liss £750.00 £2,315.00 Approved Glyndebourne Imago £20,000.00 £250,100.00 Approved Buriton Parish Plan A year in the life of a £1,793.00 £20,093.00 Group South Downs Parish Approved Rowlands Castle Rowlands Castle £500.00 £2,685.00 Landscape Character Landscape Character Assessment Group Assessment Approved Ditchling Museum Ditchling Gallery £20,000.00 £1,270,000.00 Renovation etc Approved Sussex Pond Survey South Downs Fairy £1,868.70 £2,368.70 Shrimp Project Approved Common Cause Co- Fresh Ideas: Spade £12,150.00 £16,200.00 operative Ltd Approved Cowdray Model Farm On farm classroom £2,000.00 £8,000.00 Approved Moulsecoomb Forest Moulsecoomb Forest £2,000.00 £4,600.00 Garden and Wildlife Garden and Wildlife Project Project Approved Chichester Area MIND South Downs Rural £14,270.00 £44,844.00 outreach Project Approved Artichoke Trust Peace Camp £2,000.00 £122,045.00 Approved East Dean and Friston Pond £12,375.00 £16,500.00 Parish council Rejuvenation Approved Shipwrights Way Art Trail £20,000.00 £60,000.00 Approved Adhurst Estates Provision of Allotments £4,000.00 £34,460.00 Allotment Association in Petersfield Approved Friends of Lewes Lewes Arboretum £1,440.00 £2,400.00 Approved Sussex Wildlife Trust Heathland through the 2000 10790 ages Approved Shortcut Feasibility Study - £9,000 £15,000 Petersfield - Midhurst Track Approved Sussex Wildlife Trust An Oral History of the 1867.28 4367.28 West Weald: Lodsworth Approved Berry Meadow Ltd Berry Meadow £1,400.00 £2,305.00 Interpretation Signage Approved Wealden Buildings Study South Downs British £2,000.00 £12,500.00 Group Archaeological Database Project External SCF Grant Funding Total all years £508,631.41 £10,016,480.15

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