North Somerset Council, in partnership with local organisations, received and spent more than £2.8m of government funding to support people and communities in need.
The combined bid for £2,836,811 from the UK Community Renewal Fund was used to invest in skills, communities, businesses, and to support people into employment.
Four successful projects were delivered during 2022. These were:
Enabling Thriving Places in North Somerset
Awarded £672,562 to deliver a placemaking research project. The outcomes of this project will be used to inform the interventions, projects and spaces to build social fabric, boost recovery and resilience, and create places where people want to work, visit and live. The project included a decarbonisation feasibility study programme across schools, the council and public assets.
North Somerset Community Hubs
Awarded £699,997 to create a network of community hubs to test locally designed approaches to delivery of services in rural areas and smaller towns and villages. The projects worked across three strands:
- research and outreach
- participatory action research
- location specific feasibility studies and business plans.
North Somerset Council worked in partnership with Voluntary Action North Somerset, Clevedon Town Council, Flax Bourton Community Hub, Long Ashton Coronavirus Support Network, Portishead Town Council, The Stable Weston, North Somerset Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum and the West of England Rural Network, and Race Equality North Somerset.
North Somerset Works Together
Awarded £585,851 to deliver a multi-partnership delivery model to enhance the employment and skills offer. The project addressed individuals’ employment barriers and matched vacancies with jobseekers in our most deprived communities.
North Somerset Council partnered with Weston College, Voluntary Action North Somerset and Curo to deliver this work.
Accelerate – Supporting Business in North Somerset
Awarded £878,401 to deliver targeted and flexible support for businesses and individuals using a partnership approach. The project assessed the suitability/effectiveness of different delivery models and how they add value to existing provision including a new business station in central Weston-super-Mare.
North Somerset Council worked with The Food and Drink Forum, North Somerset Enterprise Agency and University College Weston to deliver the project.