Technical Aid for Communities Project Remit

Summary

Project Remit

• Main Objective
• Scope
• Limitations
• Key Objectives
• Key Partners
• Definitions of Technical Aid
• Process and Prioritisation
• Major Action for the Project

Main Objective

To provide technical advice and support to community groups and others developing sustainable environmental improvement schemes and projects for the SRB6 Programme.

Scope

Area Forum Officers (AFO's) have identified a need for practical and swift assistance in ensuring that relevant and coherent environmental advice and information is supplied to groups.

The Technical Aid for Communities (TAfC) project will be able to provide some help directly, signposting groups quickly to the assistance they need and also ensure that groups with similar problems and issues assist each other through self-help and networking.

The Environment Officer (EO), Technical Aid for Communities, will provide technical assistance to small community-led projects in priority target areas, i.e. those smaller community schemes in local action plan 'H2' areas (which broadly relate to the Objective 1 Priority 4 Community Development areas).

The project will assist groups to develop projects by providing funding for fees and consultancy.

The EO post will be situated within the Regeneration Section, Planning and Transportation. The post will be line managed by the Sustainability Team in the Regeneration Section. Regular meetings will be held with Area Forum Officer representatives to update on progress and discuss issues.

Steering group meetings will be convened to update on progress, discuss issues and agree actions. This group will consist of representatives of the Regeneration Section, AFO's, Community Planning (Single Regeneration Budget - SRB - team), the Association of Community Partnerships, Groundwork and the voluntary-community sector. The meetings will initially be held monthly, and the frequency will be reviewed over time.

Limitations

The project will provide advice and assistance to a specific/limited number of groups, or manage a specified number of projects at one time. This is to be determined through experience and with the agreement of the steering group. A prioritising system to be developed within the EO's work programme.

The EO will not provide a general ''grant-finding'' or ''bid-writing'' service. These services may be available when a group seeking technical aid are searching for funding to provide environmental/eco-efficient features within a project, but will be dependant upon current priorities and workload. Technical Aid will begin to develop a list of relevant funding bodies who provide grant aid for environmental initiatives.

Grants will normally range between £1,000 - £5,000. Only in exceptional circumstances would this be increased to £10,000.

Key Objectives

• SRB Targets - to fund community-led projects in the SRB H2 areas (many of the coalfield communities in deprived areas of the borough)
• To provide a one-stop-shop for voluntary-community groups across the whole Borough seeking advice of a technical nature
• Increase the environmental sustainability of projects through advice and funding.
• Develop a community access database of technical expertise.
• Increase opportunities for delivering innovative projects.
• Build capacity in communities to network and generate own technical aid

Key Partners

A steering group will be established consisting of key officers and representatives from the voluntary/community sector:-

• Darren Ward - Barnsley Community & Voluntary Network
• Jack McBane - Groundwork Dearne Valley
• Iris Howard - Association of Community Partnerships
• Jack Peach - BMBC, Area Forum Officer
• Graham Murphy - BMBC, SRB Team
• Mark Armitage - BMBC, Strategic Environment Officer
• Trevor Mayne - BMBC, Environment Officer (TAfC)

The group will meet on a regular basis. It will provide six-monthly progress reports to the Environmental Well-Being Goal Group (a sub-group of the Local Strategic Partnership).

Definition of 'Technical Aid'

The request for Technical Aid must contribute towards an improvement in the physical environment:-

• Environmental improvements:-
  Design stage (e.g. group need to employ a landscape architect to assist in development of plans)
  Construct/build (e.g. group need to employ contractor to complete scheme)
  Building improvements - eco-renovations and refurbishments
  
• Advice and assistance:
  Health and safety
  Planning advice (permissions, etc.)
  Energy audits and advice
  Land management issues (inc. biodiversity)
  Waste audits and environmental management

Processes and Prioritisation

Increasingly, community/voluntary groups will be contacting the Technical Aid Centre directly for advice in developing their projects. Area Forums are to take a lead on the development of formal requests for Technical Aid funding support and these will be channelled through the relevant AFO.

AFO's will ensure a request form is completed and forwarded to the EO for processing. Priorities and specific projects are/will be identified in local community action plans. These requests will have been identified/agreed as contributing towards local priorities and therefore suitable for Technical Aid consideration.

The steering group will decide which requests receive financial support from the project. Factors the group will consider in reaching their decision are:-

• Whether the scheme falls within the scope of 'Technical Aid'
• Whether the group is an eligible group
• If the project meets an identified community need
• The degree of benefit to H2 areas
• The amount of Technical Aid funding previously received in the area
• The implications of both supporting the application
• The implications of doing nothing!
• The size of the funding request and relation to overall project costs
• Risks to completion - e.g. other funding, timescales

Major Actions for the Project

The first 12 months of the project will include a degree of both 'settling-in' and research into its context in the area; there are several community development and technical aid initiatives in the region. So some actions will be changed. It is anticipated that there will be occasions when there are advantages to be gained from merging schemes/ needs arising from the H2 areas and addressing them 'in-block'.

Related Links:

• What is Sustainability