Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Education and Skills

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Education and Skills on the European Social Fund 2014-2020 – European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) –Coventry - ESF Application to Youth Employment Initiative. The report provided information on the new bid and requested Members’ approval for the Council to act as accountable body guarantor and delivery partner for this Funding Programme.

The 2014-2020 ESIF Programme was launched in March 2015, it would now run until 2023 in the UK.

A Cabinet report was approved on 26 November 2015 (minute 70/15 referred) for successful projects from the first round of funding under the Programme. In that report it was noted that further rounds of funding would be available and that the Council would seek to apply in those rounds.

A further Cabinet report was approved on 18th February 2020 (minute 79/19 referred) and at Council on 25th February 2020 (their minute 90/19 referred), to draw down up to a further £11.38m from ESIF for three Phase 2 Programmes. These programmes were now all successfully providing additional support to local residents. 

A further call for applications under the Youth Employment Initiative (Priority 1.3) was released by the Department of Work and Pensions in January 2021. A further Council led application was therefore submitted in response to this call. The application had been successful, and the Council had now been offered a Funding Agreement to secure these funds and commence delivery of the Programme. The total project cost of this application (Grant plus Match Funding from the City Council and delivery partners) was £3.17m, with just over 66% of these costs being made available from the ESIF grants to support the applications. The Council had again taken a leadership role by bringing partners together from across the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership area to develop projects and programmes that would lead to improved employment prospects across the City and the sub-region. The Council had an outstanding track record of securing, managing and delivering EU-funded employability support programmes.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1)  Notes the success of European Funding via European Structural and Investment Funds in delivering the City’s education, skills and economic aspirations and continues to support the Council bidding for European Funds that are still available via the European Structural and Investment Funds Programme and which will support the objectives of the Economic Growth and Prosperity Strategy 2018 – 2022 and the One Coventry Council Plan 2016 – 24.

2)  Approves the acceptance of the ESF grant funding, totalling £2.11m from European Structural and Investment Funds to be utilised in delivering the City’s priorities as set out in this report.

3)  Delegate authority to the Director of Education and Skills, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Law and Governance, to negotiate final terms and entry into: (a) the grant funding agreement to secure the ESIF funding with the City Council acting as the Accountable Body for the funding: and (b) back to back funding agreement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23