Archived decisions

Name of LSP

Hampshire Strategic Partnership

Contact Name

Caroline Vernon-Jackson, Community Action Hampshire

Amount Requested

£5,000

Summary of Bid

(Details of proposed activity the money will be spent on)

Funding is sought to support full participation by BME and voluntary and relevant community sector groups and organisations in a community Reference Group intended to support a Defra funded project focusing on development of improved infrastructure support for BME groups in Hampshire. The funding would be made available to cover travel/parking costs, carer costs, to provide an attendance allowance at Community Reference Group meetings, venue hire and refreshments as necessary and other specific costs incurred through attendance and participation. It is anticipated that the Community Reference Group will take on a role wider than supporting this specific project, and will provide a link between BME groups and individuals and other initiatives in Hampshire as appropriate, for example Community Strategies and HCC's Corporate Strategy.

Community Action Hampshire is the Accountable body for this project, and has been joined by a number of public and voluntary sector organisations in its development. However, at the initial meeting of the Steering Group, the need for BME groups in the community to inform the project and project worker was identified as crucial to ensuring maximum impact and legitimacy to the outcomes of the project.

The context for this work is the improvement and development of infrastructure to support the community and voluntary sector as identified in the Haskins Report, and being taken forward by GOSE, and to build upon the work already undertaken and supported by HCC on BME issues. The importance of the work was identified in 2004 by a county consortium of agencies and organisations concerned with ensuring infrastructure support is relevant to the needs of the community in Hampshire, and is supported at a regional level by region-wide research co-ordinated by Raise in 2004. It is intended that the project will contribute to raising the level of infrastructure support for both existing and yet to be established BME groups through establishing detailed need, working with specific groups and populations, and building the capacity of infrastructure bodies to properly support BME groups and populations in Hampshire. It is also intended that the Community Reference group will have a role beyond the period of project funding, as a key tool in engagement with communities and building of knowledge of and trust in the community in public service provision.

The work of the project will also inform the development of Infrastructure Development Plans for the voluntary and community sector during 2004/5 and 2005/6 in Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, for which separate funding has been awarded by GOSE.

Timescale

(anticipated period over which the money will be spent)

Defra funding is in place from December 2004 to July 2006.

How does this bid support the targets within the Community Strategy?

The work of the project cuts across HSP themes, and as such has capacity to support the following HSP themes: Strong and Safe Communities, Health and Well-Being and Economic Prosperity and Lifelong Learning. Key HSP priorities that will be impacted upon by the project, and specifically the funding requested above, will be Tackling Deprivation, Improving Accessibility, and Reducing Inequalities. This will be achieved by ensuring the work of this BME infrastructure development project will be informed by the very people who know most about the issues on the ground, ie BME groups and individuals. Through this work, it is anticipated that BME groups and individuals will be better able to access the full range of services, schemes and initiatives available in Hampshire.

Overall funding arrangements

(please specify total cost of project and the amounts contributed from other partners)

The main funding for this project has been awarded from Defra, and totals £60,000 during 2004/5 and 2005/6 (GOSE has permitted the carry forward of funds to allow the project to operate until 31 July 2006). This funding is to pay for development of the project, employment of a specialist worker and associated costs including travel etc, management of the worker, and development of links with the Sompriti project run by South Downs CVS. The £60,000 is also intended to fund dissemination of good practice in provision of infrastructure support for BME groups to other areas including Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight as well as other infrastructure bodies in the South East. The Steering Group is committed to ensuring that the project builds upon work already completed by HCC and complements existing support. The approach is for complementary activity which brings added value to existing work, and provides routes to longer term provision of appropriate support for BME groups and individuals.

Contributions in kind have already been made by initial members of the Steering Group including HCC, the CVS network and a number of voluntary groups with specialist BME knowledge. Additional in kind contributions from the voluntary sector will continue outside the meetings noted above, through on-going work to support the project and project worker as well as work to develop a Hampshire Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP), which in itself will link with IDPs in Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

Signed

(by Chair of LSP or on behalf of)

Date

Amount Agreed

Signed

(By HCC authority)

Date