Active Partnerships Support UK Shared Prosperity work in local areas

In August 2022 the Government launched their UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Active Partnerships have been working with local partners to ensure physical activity and sport is considered within their local investment plans.

“It is about levelling up opportunity and prosperity and overcoming deep-seated geographical inequalities that have held us back for too long. It is also, fundamentally, about levelling up people’s pride in the places they love and seeing that reflected back in empowered local leaders and communities, a stronger social fabric and better life chances.” 

Source:  Government Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.  UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

It is a government requirement that a Local Partnership Group is established as part of the UKSPF process, consisting of leaders from across councils, businesses, universities, voluntary sector organisations, regional agencies and others. Its role is to advise on the overall strategic approach and how it is being delivered in addition to delivering commentary on specific funding rounds.

A year on, some examples of how Active Partnerships have been working with their local authorities to ensure physical activity and sport is considered are below:

• Yorkshire Sport Foundation, CEO Chairs local group, embedding health and physical activity

In West Yorkshire, which has a devolution deal in place, the fund is being managed by the Combined Authority who has appointed Nigel Harrison, CEO of Yorkshire Sport Foundation as Chair of the group. It is early days but as part of the group, Nigel is positioned to be able to influence the work taking place across the whole spectrum of the fund so that, where appropriate, health and physical activity can be embedded. Yorkshire Sport Foundation is currently making preparations and contacts for the Pillar 3 skills funding that is due out in the Autumn on the back of sector skills plans that are being drawn up.

• Energize STW – successfully collaborate with partners to receive £277,000 grant

Following an approach by Invest in Shropshire, Energize STW recently brought together several partners from the sport and physical activity sector in Shropshire to scope a project and funding submission into the UKSPF ‘People and Skills’ theme.  As such, the Shropshire Sports Collective was created a project developed with the aim to use sport and physical activity to engage those people in the county who were socially inactive and provide them with the opportunities to reengage in training, education and ultimately employment.

The application was successful, and the Shropshire Sports Collective have now received £277,000 to deliver 6-week blocks of activity across the 18-month grant window providing basic skills such as Maths & English, CV writing and interview skills and sector specific qualifications such as sports leaders.  The project will connect with 250 people and give them the opportunity to engage with local business through networking sessions that will raise aspirations and create meaningful employment opportunities.

• Active Together – Working with partners to improve employability

Active Together (formerly LRS) have shared suggestions of a number of opportunities with their local authorities. Connecting our sporting organisations to the ‘Multiply Scheme’ – using sport to inspire engagement in numeracy programme, raising the potential to include physical activity within local English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programmes and connections to the local leisure provision.  What’s more Active Together are working with the Youth Sport Trust as part of some local work to enhance the wellbeing, life chances and employability skill of local young people most in need.

• Active Lancashire -Improving the life chances of people who need this most

Active Lancashire have long been working with local partners to improve the life chances of people who need this most.  The Move Forward Programme has been recently updated and is part of their new collaborative approach with SELNET (Social Enterprise Support Network). The focus of this approach is to target and support those who are Economically Inactive.

Move Forward is designed to help people find amazing opportunities, improve skills, and tackle anything in their way.  Assisting people to find their path to work, enhancing skills, and breaking down any obstacles that might be holding them back.

They provide access to free opportunities, such as volunteering and work placements to develop experience, as well as access to free training, including maths, ESOL and digital skills courses.

More information can be found here https://www.activelancashire.org.uk/projects/move-forward.