Decision details

Using the £1,178,035 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, to enter into agreements for delivery with the following delivery partners:

1.    Zellar Ltd £25,000 (contract) - project 1

2.    Vision21 (Gloucestershire) Ltd £15,000 (contract) – project 1

3.    Gloucestershire College £70,000 (grant) – project 7

4.    GFirst LEP £39,500 (grant) – project 8

5.    Workshop Cheltenham £154,316 (grant) – project 8

6.    Plexal £60,000 (contract) – project 9

7.    Cheltenham Festivals £88,230 (grant) – project 10

8.    Maybe Solutions Ltd £20,965 (contract) – project 11

9.    Gloucestershire County Council £67,920 (grant) – project 12

Projects 2,3,4,5 and 6 are to be delivered by CBC and will be subject to separate decisions where required.

Cheltenham was allocated £1,178,035 of UKSPF funding and required to develop an investment plan for spending this over a three year period.  This investment plan was formally submitted to the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) by the deadline of Monday 1 August 2022.

The investment plan was prepared by the Director of Community and Economic Development, in consultation with partners, and with oversight and approval from Group Leaders, the Chief Executive, and Executive Director.

The plan set out 12 projects which will contribute to the UKSPF investment priorities of:

1. Communities and Place
2. Supporting Local Business
3. People and Skills (for spend in 2024-25 only)

The 12 projects are:

1. SME Carbon Reduction Support
2. Safe Cycle Hub
3. Retrofit Street Funding
4. SME Climate Capital Fund
5. Electrical Infrastructure
6. Climate Change Projects (as yet undefined)
7. Construction and Skills School
8. Cheltenham Growth Hub
9. Place Marketing and Inward Investment
10. Dataface
11. Connected Cheltenham
12. Employment Skills Hub Outreach

Approval of the investment plan was received from DLUHC on Wednesday 7 December and confirmation of acceptance sent in December 2022.

This decision enables relevant officers to action the above, thereby releasing the funding and making progress on delivery.

To not enter into delivery agreements.  This is not recommended as the funding provided will ensure delivery of some key projects which will meet the objectives of the Council’s corporate plan.

The investment plan was developed in consultation with members, stakeholders and partners, taking into account the priorities identified by the council in the Cheltenham Corporate Plan, Pathway to Net Zero Action Plan, and more.

Group leaders and the council’s corporate team were consulted on the projects to be included in the plan prior to its submission in the summer 2022.

Delivery of the plan will be monitored via quarterly reporting to DLUHC, as well as regular updates to Leadership and the Cheltenham Economic Advisory Board.

Key partners have been engaged to deliver projects including GFirst LEP, Gloucestershire County Council, and Gloucestershire College