Funding is being made available to improve community buildings across Cambridgeshire to bolster local services.
Applications are set to open in the summer for the new Cambridgeshire Priorities Capital Fund (CPCF) – a £1 million pot of money to upgrade facilities across the county.
The CPCF is the successor to the Cambridgeshire Communities Capital Fund which was launched in April 2020. That fund led to 35 projects receiving funding just shy of £3.5 million.
The CPCF will help the Joint Administration achieve some of its main ambitions which include making sure places and communities prosper and children and young people have opportunities to thrive.
Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations will be among the organisations eligible to bid for the funding, as well as public sector bodies.
Applications can relate to capital funding projects which includes buildings, indoor and outdoor equipment and installation services. Those applying will have to show how their projects will support the council to achieve its vision of becoming a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire through the delivery of at least three of its ambitions. These are:
• Net zero carbon emissions for Cambridgeshire by 2045
• Travel across the county is safer and more environmentally sustainable
• Health inequalities are reduced
• People enjoy healthy, safe, and independent lives through timely support that is most suited to their needs
• People are helped out of poverty and income inequality
• Places and communities prosper because they have a resilient and inclusive economy, access to good quality public services and social justice is prioritised
• Children and young people have opportunities to thrive.
Moreover, applications which support the council to achieve the aims and ambitions of its Care Together programme – to keep people remaining independently at home for as long as possible - are particularly welcome.
The fund will open later this year with successful bids (which cannot exceed £40,000) expected to be chosen early in 2024.
A cross-party panel of councillors will be part of an assessment panel alongside officers from the council’s communities service, property service and finance teams.
The decision to set up the CPCF was approved by members of the council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee. Committee chair Cllr Tom Sanderson said: “The Joint Administration wants to put communities at the heart of everything it does - from offering financial support to hosting group sessions and delivering care packages – as we believe this delivers the best outcomes for our residents.
“By offering this funding, it will enable community and voluntary groups who may have limited money to carry out improvements which will deliver clear benefits for the people they engage with.”
The criteria for the CPCF was developed by a group consisting of county councillors and council officers, with input coming from the voluntary sector and other partners.
On top of the £1 million available, another £500,000 is being kept in reserve to make improvements to council-owned community assets/projects.
To read the papers from the meeting, visit the council’s website. To watch a recording of the meeting, visit the council’s YouTube page.
