New £200,000 fund helping groups continue 'fantastic' work in Hartlepool

Earlier this year Hartlepool Borough Council approved creating a £225,000 community pot using one-off funding resources to support the Covid-19 recovery in the area.

A total of £25,000 is allocated to support a programme of activities for young people, with the remaining £200,000 to be made available in a pot for voluntary and community sector projects.

A report to the council finance and policy committee has now confirmed more details of how the funding will be used and allocated.

Projects must address hardship arising from Covid-19, provide something additional in the borough, have clear impacts and outcomes, and have an exit strategy for long-term impact.

Cllr Shane Moore, Hartlepool Borough Council leader, praised the voluntary and community sector organisations in the town and added he was hopeful the pot will assist them in carrying out further work.

He said: “There are some amazing organisations out there in Hartlepool doing some fantastic work.

“I just hope that this pot is going to be able to assist them in delivering that work that they’ve been doing and hopefully sustaining new projects moving forward.”

Organisations will be able to apply for funding of £20,000 to £200,000, with the lower limit proposed to ensure the funding available is sufficient to have an impact.

The higher limit is proposed to allow community organisations to work collaboratively on ambitious projects that will potentially have a greater impact.

Any bids over £50,000 will need to provide evidence of collaboration between two or more organisations.

Jill Harrison, council director of adult and community based services, said talks have already taken place with the voluntary and community sector (VCS) as to how they can work together to aid the Covid-19 recovery.

She said: “There has already been some engagement with the voluntary and community sector in recent months in relation to recovery planning and how we can work more collaboratively.

“It’s assumed that this will be received very positively by the VCS.”

Cllr Jim Lindridge also praised the plans for the funding pot and the benefits it will provide.

He said: “I think it’s really important that we have this community pot, more so at this particular time with Covid.

“There are a lot of mental health issues with young people and I think the project itself will give opportunities, give people a window of hope, and have some positivity.”

Applications for the £200,000 will soon be invited, with a closing date in early January, and information will be provided to VCS organisations.

Plans have already been drawn up for how the £25,000 to support young people’s activities will be used.

A total of £10,000 will be used to provide sail training for vulnerable young people on the Black Diamond through the company Sailing North East.

This will pre-purchase approximately 34 days at sea for five young people per day, providing opportunities for 170 young people in total.

The remaining £15,000 will be used to enhance and expand the reach of the existing Sport England ‘Family Fund’ project which is delivering a range of activities encouraging low income families to engage in physical activity.

The community pot was created using existing funding including elements of the family poverty reserve, an underspend on ward member budgets and the uncommitted balance of the local authority emergency assistance grant for food and essential supplies.

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