CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON LEP EU STRUCTURAL & INVESTMENT FUNDS UPDATE 10 September 2013 Sue Baxter EU Programmes Dept Business, Innovation & Skills
ESI UK 2014-2020 : HOW MUCH? UK £9bn England £5.2bn - notionally allocated to 39 LEPs - Cheshire & Warrington € 142.2m Scotland £1.833m; N. Ireland £390m; Wales £1.822bn Same but different…. Same funds, same EU rules Different access channels in each part of UK Different management systems Different emphasis If collaborating with non English parts of UK, need to ensure proposals fit with slightly different systems
ESI FUNDS : WHAT FOR? Innovation and R&D (esp commercialisation) ICT: Improving access; quality and usage SMEs: Improving competitiveness (incl. in the agricultural & aquaculture sectors) Shift to low carbon economy (c 20% total ERDF) Climate change adaptation and risk management (lower priority) Environmental protection & resource efficiency (lower priority) Sustainable transport and unblocking key networks (lower priority) Employment and labour mobility Social inclusion and fighting poverty (20% total ESF) Education, skills and lifelong learning Improving institutional capacity for efficient public administration (not for UK)
ESI 3 CATEGORIES OF UK AREAS National Picture Allocation £m England 5,277 Wales 1,833 Scotland 680 Northern Ireland 390 EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS BUDGET IN GDP (as % Allocation ENGLAND: of EU £m 3 CATEGORIES OF AREAS average) (allocations are population based) Less developed Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly 73.2 457 Transition Cumbria 89.5 70 Devon 88.1 65 East Yorkshire & N. Lincolnshire 85.8 123 Lancashire 84.9 205 South Yorkshire 84.5 137 Shropshire & Staffs 83.9 217 Merseyside 80.2 156 Lincolnshire 79.8 81 Tees Valley & Durham 78.5 277 More developed Rest of country 4
RINGFENCING BY UK CATEGORIES OF AREAS RECOMMENDED SPENDING LEVELS CORE THEMES More Developed Less Developed Regions Transition Regions Regions Innovation • At least 50% of total • At least 60% of total • At least 80% of total ERDF on these 4 ERDF on these 4 ERDF on these 4 SME Competitiveness themes themes themes Low Carbon (high priority) • At least 12% of total • At least 15% of total • At least 20% of total ERDF on low carbon ERDF on low carbon ERDF on low carbon ICT only only only Climate Change Adaptation Lower priority Lower priority Environmental Protection Lower priority Lower priority Sustainable Transport Lower priority Lower priority Employment At least 60% ESF on up At least 70% ESF on up At least 80% ESF on up Skills to 4 sub-priorities within to 4 sub-priorities within to 4 sub-priorities these themes these themes within these themes Social Inclusion (at least 20% of total ESF) Institutional Capacity The 4 Sub Priorities for up to 60%, 70% or 80% ESF are (1) employability; (2) unemployed people into jobs; (3) youth employment; (4) skills upgrading (incl apprenticeships)
CURRENT ENGLAND STRUCTURAL FUNDS PROGRAMMES 2007-13: PROLIFERATION, DUPLICATION, FRAGMENTATION
PROPOSED ENGLAND EU PROGRAMME 2014-2020: STREAMLINED & INTEGRATED Maritime SINGLE EU GROWTH Rural and PROGRAMME: > € 6.2bn Development Fisheries Programme (ERDF, ESF & part of EAFRD) Programme (EAFRD) (EMFF) MA Local Teams LEPs Community Led Local Development, PROJECT PROPOSALS
NEW vs OLD PROGRAMMES : RINGING THE CHANGES Consistent approach to using EU ESI funds in a combined and complementary way under a single national programme (vs current disconnect between complementary EU funds channelled through 11 separate programmes) Allocations geared to functional economic areas but with freedom to be shared and ‘pooled’ if desired (vs current regionalised / less accessible programming for ERDF which confines investments to regional administrative boundaries) >95% allocated for determination at local level, with minimal ‘top slicing’ to finance Government initiatives (vs <50% Government ‘top slice’ in current programmes) More equalised proportions ERDF and ESF (vs acute ‘skewing’ of ERDF to the north in current programmes) Coherent, up front, national match funding ‘opt - in offers’ to alleviate financial pressures for project sponsors & encourage strategic investments (vs current ad hoc / non-existent national match funding arrangements)
ESI : A BIG DEAL ATTRACTS HEAVY SCRUTINY 2012 EU budget € 147.2 billion = 1.12% of EU gross national income Citizens , freedom, security and justice 1% The EU as a global player : Administration including development aid 6% 6% Natural Sustainable growth : resources : Jobs, competitiveness, Agriculture & regional development environment 46%: 41% of which STRUCTURAL FUNDS 36% ( € 53 bn)
DEVELOPING Indicative Checklist STRONG PROJECTS Policy fit EU vision: EU 2020 Your Project Proposal UK vision: national policy & programmes LEP vision Business case Alignment with Evidence of need; clear focus and results programme theme Rationale for intervention & use of Innovation public funds SME Competitiveness Outputs, Impact & Outcomes Low Carbon VFM ICT Deliverability Climate Change Adaptation Match funding & collaboration? Environmental Protection Risk management assurance Sustainable Transport Timeframe Employment Compliance Skills Eligibility with funding rules Social Inclusion Audit trail Institutional Capacity Endorsement from key partners
LEP ESI SPENDING PLANS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR Fit of vision & proposed activities with well evidenced analysis of economic, social & environmental needs Fit with UK’s EU 2020 priorities Rules of funds (eligbility) National policy priorities relating to core themes Outputs and results anticipated Quality, Deliverability & Risk Partnership & local governance / engagement Split between funds by area Cross cutting themes
National thematic working groups (with sector analysts) review relevant sections of all LEP “ Opt-in ” Strategies and check for: • alignment/clash with national priorities and policies; programmes/ • exploitation of synergies; and organisations • compliance with any specific European discuss their offers with LEPs requirements. and local teams. ASSESSMENT OF LEP National thematic working groups each produce very brief comments on each of the LEP Strategies. Central group of cross-dept analysts go through DRAFT ESI PLANS all Strategies to check robustness of each LEP ’ s intervention logic. Analysts send theme/sector- specific queries to national thematic working groups. Managing Authorities check that Strategies contain sufficient information for development of the Operational Programmes. BIS collates all BIS checks that Strategies contain sufficient “ national- level ” information for development of the England Chapter of the Partnership Agreement. comments into short report on CSF England Group adds up all LEPs ’ spending each LEP. profiles, output levels etc to give England totals. CSF Eng Gp then assesses LEP Strategies against the following elements of the national-level criteria (in the BIS and MA G5s conduct context of the England spending/output totals): moderation of Local Teams ’ final 6 Nov : Growth • potential contribution of proposed activities to comments and agree draft Programme CSF England delivery of Europe 2020 goals; responses to LEPs to put to the ESI Board (GPB) Group • profile of funding commitments across the 2014- Funds GPB for consideration. considers draft monitor 2020 period; responses to progress • the distribution of LEP allocations across thematic CSF England Group drafts LEPs and systematically. objectives; summary paper of key issues and issues in • the ESF/ERDF split; and recommendations to the GPB. summary paper. • compliance with the regulations (light-touch). Papers to GPB on Fri 1 Nov. CSF England Group decides whether compliance with the regulations requires systematic adjustments to all/majority of LEPs strategies or just a few specific adjustments to a few LEPs ’ Strategies. Local Teams consider all “ national-level ” Local Teams assess LEP Strategies against local elements of Local Teams work comments on LEP evaluation criteria: with LEPs on Strategy Strategies, challenging 7 Oct: LEPs ’ • rationale for selection of strategic activities and supporting development. Local those comments they evidence base; draft Strategies Teams update CSF don ’ t agree with. • local governance arrangements and partnership working; received by England Group on local “ mailbox ” • capacity of local partners; progress/risks in Aug Local Teams produce • risks to delivery; and and Sept. draft responses to be • compliance with the regulations. sent from the ESI Funds GPB to LEPs. Any clarification questions sent to Local Teams to w/c 7 Oct w/c 14 Oct w/c 21 Oct w/c 28 Oct w/c 4 Nov 6 Nov collate and pass to AUG/SEPT LEPs
TIMELINES EUROPEAN STRUCTURAL & INVESTMENT FUNDS Summer Guidance & indicative allocations ESF/ERDF to LEPs. EAFRD allocation later. 7 October LEPs complete outline ESI spending plans for review by Government Oct – Dec LEPs & Government discuss & agree ESI spending plans January HMG negotiates England plans with EU. LEPs finalise ESI strategies Early 2014: Minimal time for local preparation Mid 2014: ESI funds ‘go live’ LEPS refresh & review ESI spending plans
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