News

A view on Town Design Statements, more on Somerset County Council’s Market Town Regeneration Fund and the latest on Transition Towns and villages in Somerset.

Next Network Event: Watchet, 16th September – for details see website – three key regeneration projects explored.

Living Working Countryside: The Taylor Review of Rural Economy and Affordable Housing

Download the Taylor Review here

Local Area Agreement Newsletter

Somerset Strategic Partnership have produced an introduction/overview of the LAA, see attached.

Local Action – Successful Bids

Three Somerset bids have been awarded funding from the Local Action for Rural Communities programme, administered by SWERDA. Click here for details

Useful Community Planning Newsletter

My colleague at the Community Council, Katy Calvert, is producing an interesting and informative newsletter about Parish Plans every 6 months, called ‘Round Up’. The attached edition includes items on a Parish Plan Impact Survey, funding opportunities and news about a pilot scheme for a South-West Community Action Plan Database, which could be of real interest to Somerset Market Towns. Action Plan Databases have been effective in other counties in helping Local Authorities to plan services, for communities to keep track of actions and for refreshing their Plans.

Possible route to funding Town’s projects

The new Community Infrastructure Levy that Local Authority’s can place as requirement of new development to help fund local infrastructure. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), will be a new charge which local authorities in England and Wales will be empowered, but not required, to charge on most types of new development in their area. The proceeds of the levy will be spent on local and sub-regional infrastructure to support the development of the area. Read more and download the report here. Obviously, early discussions with your District Council’s Regeneration Officer when large planning applications are expected is the first step.

Cycle Maps for Somerset Towns

Maps for cyclists have been produced by MovingForward, a County Council initiative, for 20 Somerset Towns. Though the pdf’s are large (you will need broadband!), they may be of use and can either be downloaded here or paper copies can be bought, see their website.

ACRE Headlines

You can view ACRE’s Headline news here, which includes funding opportunities.

Training

Five FREE training events - reminder - Places going fast!

The Community Council for Somerset are working with the other RCC’s in the region to deliver a set of training events, funded by SWERDA. South West ACRE Network (SWAN) secured this funding. The training events will be free of charge, for the benefit of community groups/individuals, and take place in September and October, in venues across Somerset. The events will be on;

· Skills for engagement and communication (8)

· Local Leadership (5)

· Governance (6)

· Financial Management and Budgeting (12)

· Project development and delivery (10)

(Numbers in brackets refer to places still available)

Full details are on the ViSTA website where you can register. Please let them know you heard about the courses from SMTF.

Business Improvement Districts

If your Town Partnership is interested in learning more about BID’s, which includes funding town enhancements through a local business tax, let me know and I will look into organising a seminar; Shepton 21 attended one BID seminar recently.
To get an overview of BID’s, see the attached or read the CLG report here from last year.

Funding

Somerset County Council Market Towns Regeneration Fund

New fund for (mainly) capital projects that deliver economic regeneration, and can support up to 75% of total project cost, from £5000-£25000. It can also fund feasibility studies for capital projects. Work/s need to start by March 31st 2009. First application round deadline is Sept 1st. Find out more here. Please call Mandie Berry (SCC) on 01749 341438 or Matt Day (SMTF) on 01458 252005 for a discussion before submitting an application.

Grassroots Grants

The Grassroots programme offers grants to community groups of between £250 and £5000 (either as one off payments or grants spread over the lifetime of the 3-year programme). The fund will finance equipment, local events / workshops, general running costs (including staff costs and a contribution to rent if appropriate), training for volunteers, the cost of attending a conference / event and funding to support an organization achieve a quality or other standard relevant to their activities. More information is available on www.somersetcf.org.uk.

The fund is £200k per year for 3 years. In terms of support to potential applicants to the fund, the Community Foundation is using the CVS network to provide on the ground support. With no CVS in Sedgemoor, the Community Council for Somerset will fill this role.

Community Spaces flagship grants – large amounts but few grants
Grants of between £50,000 and £450,000 are now up for grabs for community groups wanting to improve green and open spaces in their neighbourhoods. The launch of the CS large and flagship grants means that groups are now able to expand their horizons further and apply for bigger pots of money to create and re-vamp green spaces. The larger grants will be distributed on a competitive basis and only four large grants (£50,000 - £100,000) and one flagship grant (£100,001 - £450,000) will be allocated in each English region. There is only one opportunity to apply for a large or flagship grant and deadlines have been set for January 2009.
Community Spaces is looking to fund groups with innovative, practical and sustainable ideas that will benefit areas in need of physical improvement. Possible large and flagship projects may include canal side improvements, cycle path routes, nature reserves, woodlands or city farms. Community Spaces has been open for small and medium (£10,000 - £49,999) since March 2008 and has so far received over 200 applications. Small and medium grants will continue to be available on a rolling basis until 2011.
More information about grants from Community Spaces and application packs can be found online or via the Advice Line 0845 3671 671.

Community Sustainable Energy Programme
The Community Sustainable Energy Programme will provide funding to charities and community-based organisations for project development and for the installation of microgeneration technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines and energy efficiency measures (including loft and cavity wall insulation). It can give up to £5,000 for project development grants and up to £50,000 for capital grants. The aim of the Programme is to bring about:
Reduction in CO2 emissions; Increased community awareness of climate change and how changes to our behaviour can reduce it; Increased skills base of local trades; Reduction in energy bills; Reduction in reliance on imported energy and increased independence from commercial energy suppliers; Stronger partnerships within local communities with lasting social benefits; Growth of local enterprise in new technologies.
For more information, click here

SW Funding Bulletin

As this is a large document, if you are interested in receiving this please email SVSN’s Jodi Boxell at jod1s@btinternet.com

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Matt Day
Coordinator
Somerset Market Towns Forum
Tel: 01458 252005

www.somersetmarkettowns.co.uk

Somerset Market Towns Forum – promoting and supporting community-based action to revitalise Somerset’s market towns

ViSTA - Forum

News

SMTF News no. 13