SEMLEP RURAL INCLUSION PLAN

Transcription

1 SEMLEP RURAL INCLUSION PLAN 1. CONTEXT The Suth East Midlands Lcal Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) Rural Plan underpins the pririties identified in the Scial Inclusin Strategy, which supprts the SEMLEP Ecnmic Plan (SEP) and the Eurpean Structural Investment Funds (ESIF). The rural ecnmy plays an imprtant rle in SEMLEP with 25% f peple and 35% f VAT registered enterprises based in areas defined as rural. Partners are keen t ensure that ur fund resurces (ERDF, ESF and EAFRD) are used effectively t maximise ecnmic impact, deliver value fr mney and supprt strategic interventins in ur rural areas t deliver ur visin. On a natinal scale, the rural agenda remains highly relevant particularly in light f the Rural Statement issued by the Calitin Gvernment in September This re-affirmed Gvernment s cmmitment t securing thriving and grwing rural cmmunities, with a fcus n three key pririties: ecnmic grwth, rural engagement and quality f life. As a result f the wrk that SEMLEP has undertaken six pririties have been identified within the SEMLEP ESI Fund Strategy cvering bth urban and rural areas acrss the whle f the Suth East Midlands. Our main ERDF and ESF funds, estimated 75.2m SEMLEP allcatin, will be deplyed acrss the whle SEMLEP area t deliver, innvatin, R&D, business supprt and expertise develpment. This is in cnjunctin with the labur market interventins already planned under ur Strategic Ecnmic Plan, skills strategy, apprenticeships plan and sectr specific strategies (e.g. lgistics), etc. Our apprach t the rural specific fund (EAFRD) meanwhile, has been t cncentrate ur allcatin f apprximately 4.2m n supprting investment in the mst imprtant and strategic rural issues that will cmplement and add value t ur ERDF/ESF funds namely; Where there is a particular need fr investment, Where alternative surces f funding are particularly scarce Where we can maximise the return n investment. The aim f this dcument is t rural prf the varius SEMLEP strategies by setting ut the verarching pririties t ensure ecnmic, envirnmental and scial sustainability acrss the SEMLEP gegraphy. 1 P a g e

2 2. RURAL PROOFING SEMLEP acknwledges the requirement t cnsider the rural impacts f their plicies and prgrammes and, where necessary, t make adjustments t achieve equally effective and successful utcmes fr individuals, cmmunities and businesses in rural areas. The SEMLEP area cntains a range f settlement sizes frm small and larger villages thrugh market twns t large urban settlements. It is well recgnised that peple and businesses in rural areas experience different challenges t thse in urban areas, even while sme bstacles apply similarly t bth urban and rural. This inclusin plan aims t ensure that SEMLEP s strategies and prject themes are rural prfed t ensure fairness. Rural Prfing des nt require exactly the same utcme r the prvisin f exactly the same level f service in rural as in urban lcatins. This wuld nt be practical in many cases, as the csts wuld be prhibitive, hwever, it is imprtant t cnsult and engage with rural cmmunities t ensure that an up t date clear picture f need is knwn. Plicies and prgrammes shuld be sufficiently flexible t apply fairly in rural areas and t deliver quality services that meet cmmunity s everyday needs. 3. RURAL PRIORITIES AND COMMUNITY ASPIRATIONS The specific challenges that face rural life are remarkably similar acrss the whle cuntry. In rder t develp an investment strategy that meets the needs f bth urban and rural areas, it is imprtant t develp a set f pririties that address these specific challenges, as fllws: Ecnmic Pririties Scial Pririties Grw the lcal fd and drink ecnmy, turism, agriculture (and ther land based industries) including frestry as the heart f a sund rural ecnmy. Wrk with partners, rural businesses and cmmunities t supprt superfast bradband cnnectivity thrugh small scale innvative initiatives. Encurage rural business develpment t prvide sustainable lcal emplyment t meet changing demgraphic needs. Prmte capacity t ensure that rural cmmunities have access t viable, effective and innvative cmmunity transprt. Supprt rural cmmunities t retain, imprve and develp the shps, rural services and cmmunity assets Supprt initiatives where pssible t increase affrdable scial husing Imprve access t rural business supprt, apprenticeships and training t meet lcal needs 2 P a g e

3 Envirnmental Pririties Encurage innvative carbn reductin and resurce efficiency initiatives Supprt the cnservatin and enhancement f the natural envirnment, particularly in areas f significant landscape and/r bidiversity value 4. KEY AREAS OF INTERVENTION Wrking with rural partners SEMLEP have identified a number f pririties within the ESIF which are supprted by the Scial Inclusin Strategy bjectives that tgether represent a cnslidated apprach t rural issues. Ecnmic SEMLEP will apply supprt and investment t help address the challenges rural businesses encunter t enable them t reach the wider business sectr. In the Suth East Midlands, the lcal fd and drink sectr and the visitr ecnmy are f grwing significance t the rural ecnmy and prvide excellent grwth pprtunities. There are als pprtunities t develp the knwledge ecnmy, particularly in rural hub twns and ther areas with the necessary bradband and 4G infrastructure. Key interventins under this pririty culd include: Supprt start-up and develpment f SMEs in rural lcatins t help strengthen and diversify the rural ecnmy. Facilitate the diversificatin f rural business and the re-use f redundant buildings Prmte the develpment f pprtunities fr purchasing and cnsuming lcally prduced fd, in cllabratin with the visitr ecnmy Intrduce new techniques and efficiencies t rural industry, and prmte interactin between business and Higher/Further Educatin Invest in skills and educatin, including access t agricultural apprenticeship schemes t encurage and increase the skill level f yung entrants int the industry; enabling high grwth cmpanies t develp their higher level skills by accessing management, leadership, entrepreneurship and innvatin training; and supprt t cver the training cst f initial certificatin, which incur cnsiderable ne-ff csts fr new entrants int rural industry On a strategic and business level these types f initiatives will ensure that the benefits stay in the lcal cmmunity rather than jbs ging elsewhere fr example a livestck farm culd decide t use the internet t start selling meat lcally, and will hence need t emply butchers, packers, distributrs, marketing and advertising staff. Withut the develpment f this lcal supply chain sme r all f this activity culd be transferred utside f the SEMLEP area. SEMLEP and partners have cnsidered the issue f bradband access within ur rural areas and understands that the funding f hard-wiring culd be difficult t invest given State Aid issues. We will therefre initially use sme f ur investment t prvide additinal demand stimulatin supprt fr rural cmmunities that d nt have access t superfast bradband. Activity prpsed under this 3 P a g e

4 prgramme will align with any natinal activities like the Rural Cmmunity Bradband Fund. Bradband and GPS access wuld have substantial benefits t Farmers ensuring prductive time management and enhance the ability f farms t act as hubs fr many ther SMEs. Scial Althugh funding cnstraints may nt enable SEMLEP t impact sme scial pririties it is imprtant t flag up these issues by saying that as a Lcal Enterprise Partnership we will; Encurage investment in cmmunity transprt enabling residents withut their wn transprt t access services t emplyment Prmte increased access t affrdable husing fr lcal peple in villages, where the husing mix is cntributing t a rapidly ageing ppulatin and raising cncerns ver sustainability Supprt the viability f lcal rural services where they prvide a benefit in terms f cmmunity chesin and helping mney t circulate in the lcal ecnmy, and supprt the develpment f service enterprises Ensure that skills, emplyability and back-t-wrk prgrammes funded thrugh SEMLEP s ESF allcatin reach ut t disadvantaged rural residents and address their specific barriers t participatin Envirnmental SEMLEP s publicatin It s the Ecnmy, Naturally highlighted that the natural envirnment is an enabler f ecnmic grwth. SEMLEP will ensure that the natural envirnment is cnserved and enhanced during the curse f this plan by investing in Green Infrastructure as part f an integrated apprach t sustainable develpment, and building the capacity f lcal cmmunities (including pririty grups) t care fr their envirnment. We will als supprt businesses and ther rganisatins t seek external funding fr envirnmental stewardship and Green Infrastructure in rder t maximise the value f ur investment. We will cmplement the activities identified in ur Lw Carbn Innvatin and Resurce and Energy Efficiency prgrammes by using investment t supprt small scale energy generatin prjects within rural areas. This culd include schemes that extend the existing natinal Rural Cmmunity Energy Fund. We will wrk with relevant stakehlders, such as the Frestry Cmmissin and Natural England, t identify a pipeline f suitable schemes. Fr example, this culd include schemes lking t maximise lcal bimass supply chains t supprt the multi fuel pwer generatin plans and investment in schemes t increase the uptake f renewable energy technlgies and resurce efficient practices within rural SMEs perating in the LEP s pririty sectrs. 4 P a g e

5 In cnclusin The pririties and aspiratins cntained within this rural inclusin plan are supprted by SEMLEP and we will wrk with partners t help prvide the signpsting and supprt needed t ensure a vital rural ecnmy. Hwever, sme f the aspiratins require a larger investment cmmitment than is pssible under the ESIF prgramme, namely transprt, scial husing and bradband. We will, therefre aim t invest, where pssible, in innvatin and n a smaller scale. It is imprtant t share best practice with regard t these pilt r prttype schemes and SEMLEP will endeavur t make infrmatin available within cnflict f interest guidelines. 5. LEADER COVERAGE ACROSS SEMLEP The main rural develpment prgramme managed by DEFRA has allcated 138m t the next rund f the LEADER prgramme due t start in Althugh this prgramme has nt been agreed we estimate that hpefully, if applicatins are successful, that 6-7m will be allcated t LEADER grups within the SEMLEP patch. The main pririties fr investment thrugh LEADER have been cnfirmed as: 1. Increasing farm prductivity 2. Micr enterprises and farm diversificatin 3. Rural turism 4. Increasing frestry prductivity 5. Rural Services 6. Cultural and heritage activity DEFRA eligible areas fr EAFRD acrss SEMLEP area DEFRA expects that 70% f all prjects must directly supprt the rural ecnmy (eg. thrugh creating and develping micr and small sized rural businesses). The remaining 30% f prjects will als need t demnstrate that they are cntributing t imprving the lcal rural ecnmy by, fr example, increasing visitrs t a particular area r prviding an essential rural service. 5 P a g e

6 Once a decisin n LEADER areas fr the new prgramme is made SEMLEP will be in a psitin t identify target areas and allcate rural funds acrss the pririties t ensure maximum cverage. Cntinued investment will supprt land based agricultural businesses t increase the percentage f farm incme derived frm the marketplace; bst prductivity and sustainability; and cntribute t the lng term ecnmic grwth and emplyment creatin in the sectr. It was a DEFRA requirement that the LEADER LAG grups btain a letter f endrsement frm the LEP supprting LEADER prgramme applicatins in their area. These endrsement letters were prvided and it has been agreed that a SEMLEP representative will sit n the varius Lcal Actin Grups t ensure cntinued cperatin and synergy t ensure that strategies align and lcal cmplementary activities are develped. There is an acknwledged requirement by bth the LEP and the LAG that a clse cllabrative relatinship will be needed t ensure that prjects and initiatives are nt develped in islatin. The prjects that will be funded thrugh the LEP ESIF prgramme are likely t be larger in value cmpared with smaller LEADER initiatives. S a netwrk f supprt and signpsting will be put in place t ensure that prject leads are directed t the mst apprpriate fund. All LEADER grups have set pririties that are pertinent t their lcale within their lcal develpment strategies, hwever, ne pririty is cmmn in all calling fr investment t escalate the develpment, grwth and enhancement f the Lcal Fd and Drink sectrs. Fr further infrmatin n the individual LAG pririties please cntact: Bedfrdshire and Huntingdn Claylands and Greensand Ridge LEADER prgrammes - jnb@bedsrcc.rg.uk Clay Vale LEADER Prgramme - nick.phillips@ngageslutins.c.uk Nrth & West Nrthamptnshire LEADER - thmas.meyer@nrthamptnshireep.c.uk Oxfrdshire LEADER Prgramme suzanne.malclm@suthandvale.gv.uk 6 P a g e