Future Charnwood - Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions on the Future Charnwood project and the investment plan can be found below:

Does this mean these projects will definitely receive funding?

No. The Council has identified 10 projects to include in its UK Shared Prosperity Fund investment plan. This has been submitted to Government which will now consider it.

If the plan is approved, then funding will be released to the Council. The Council will then ask projects to submit business cases for consideration before any funding is released.

The Government approves only the broad areas of intervention identified in Investment Plans, it does not approve individual projects. The Council must manage its investment programme locally and make decisions about the release of funding to projects.

Why haven’t you revealed how much funding each project has been allocated?

The Government has only asked us at this stage to identify how much funding we are allocating to the types of interventions we are proposing for example, such as improving community and neighbour infrastructure projects, improving local green spaces and supporting town centres.

The projects’ costings may also change as they develop. The allocating of funding is being managed by a project team of officers at the Council and the delivery of the investment plan programme will be steered by a Future Charnwood Group which will include officers, the Leader of the Council and Charnwood’s MPs. All financial matters will be subject to the Council’s standard processes of due diligence and governance and in accordance with Government UKSPF guidance. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also has monitoring and reporting guidelines which the Council will comply with.

Have you allocated all the funding?

Yes. All funding has been allocated to the projects plus the potential joint project for business support as described in the project summaries.

What if a project is cancelled due to reasons beyond the Council’s control?

If a project is withdrawn by the proposing organisation, then the UK Shared Prosperity Funding can be allocated to another project which was submitted to the Council. However, if the change in a funding intervention is substantial then that would need Government consent.

The Council has drawn up a list of 14 reserve projects which could be supported should funding become available.

What other reasons could there be for funding to become available again?

There are various reasons why funding could become available again. For example, it is possible a project could secure funding from another source and therefore no longer require UK Shared Prosperity Fund support.

A project might also identify cost efficiencies for delivery or the scope of a project might need to be scaled back.

The Council might also consider a project’s business case to be inadequate and therefore not provide funding.

A project might fail to deliver in accordance with its grant offer conditions and therefore the Council would cease further payments to that project and look to claw-back any payments already made. 

If any of these examples or other events happen, the funds allocated to a project could be redirected towards another project.

What criteria did you use to select the projects chosen for support?

Each project was scored by a panel which looked at various aspects including, evidence that it met the needs of the Future Charnwood objectives, deliverability, the outcomes it would deliver and the benefits it would bring to the borough.