Social Inclusion Area Strategies: Role of European Structural Funds: page 2

Non-Graphical version

Social Inclusion Area Strategies: Role of European Structural Funds

Annex B

SOUTH OF SCOTLAND EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP SOCIAL INCLUSION ACTIVITY STATEMENT

Introduction

In tackling social exclusion and promoting social inclusion in the South of Scotland fundamental issues of rurality have to be taken into consideration.

A number of factors cause social exclusion in the South of Scotland including:

Decline and large-scale job losses within key sectors of the area's economy and outward migration of skilled and qualified people leaving many who are less able to access training and job opportunities.

Low pay and relatively poor employment conditions. The South of Scotland is amongst the lowest paid areas in the United Kingdom. The low wages are also combined with a relatively large share of the workforce with few formal qualifications. This is demonstrated in the findings of the 1999 CACI Pay Check report and the 1999 TGWU survey.

The difficulties associated with the delivery of services in sparsely populated areas. This places additional financial pressures on local development bodies and service delivery agencies with negative implications on the level of services provided and the resulting quality of life experienced.

A lack of an effective public and private transport network to access jobs, training and service provision. This is demonstrated in the limited provision of a rail network (there is no railway provision in the Scottish Borders) and a high dependency on car ownership and use. Cars are an essential mode of transport for the majority of rural households in the South of Scotland, and they rely on this mode for the bulk of their travel to access essential and local services, jobs and training opportunities. There are however, particular groups such as the young, the elderly, women and those on low incomes who do not have use of a car and have severe accessibility problems.

In the South of Scotland 71% of the population lives outside settlements of 10,000 people or more and that can be compared to 28% for Scotland as a whole. This means that socially excluded individuals and groups tend to be much less concentrated than in city and conurbation areas. To deal with this issue social exclusion must be tackled both spatially and aspatially ie. on the basis of area deprivation and priority groups.

Past Activity/Policy on Social Inclusion

There is only one Social Inclusion Partnership within the South of Scotland, a thematic initiative in the Scottish Borders focussing on young people between the ages of 15 to 25 years, and concentrating mainly on transition from school to adulthood. Many of the young people targeted have spent most of their lives in care and will be assisted to progress to independent living. The Partnership is intended to address constraints excluding young people from access to employment or participation in vocational training or further education.

In partnership with local communities, priority has been given to targeted areas suffering from long-term economic deprivation, such as in Eyemouth, Hawick, Wigtown, Stranraer, Newton Stewart and Upper Nithsdale. These settlements continue to suffer from economic decline as a result of industrial restructuring, unemployment and depopulation. The purpose of these regeneration initiatives is to help to develop the local economy through local capacity building and the creation of community assets and the provision of new services.

Examples of outcomes in the South of Scotland during 1996-1999

Initiative Area	New Assets and Services
Eyemouth	Harbour redevelopment, fisheries support services, town centre renewal projects, provision of industrial land and business support and training services
Hawick	Town centre renewal projects, improvements to industrial areas, business support and training services
Newton Stewart	Cinema, small business centre, college campus, young persons centre
Stranraer	Redevelopment of Co-op building in the town centre as a community and exhibition centre
Upper Nithsdale	2 cyber-cafés providing ICT training to all excluded groups and SME’s.
Wigtown	Creation of 19 new book businesses, book festivals and trade fairs

Despite the lack of formal SIP status for most of the Plan Area, there has been recognition within the Plan Team of the need to address Social Exclusion over the whole area. The presence of low incomes, higher prices, remoteness from potential services, and poor public transport and infrastructure in rural areas all tend to exacerbate existing barriers to individuals from economic and social opportunities.

Current State of Affairs

The Plan Team has recognised particular factors causing Social Exclusion in the South of Scotland, including:

The scale of job losses among key sectors of the economy;
Low pay and relatively poor employment conditions;
A lack of effective public and private transport network to access job, training and service provision.

The draft South of Scotland Objective 2 Plan makes provision for actions in the following areas;

Capacity building actions to strengthen voluntary sector infrastructure;
Community regeneration initiatives;
Economic inclusion and lifelong learning actions which support community and voluntary sectors to remove specific barriers to economic participation for example childcare, transport guidance or counselling.

Examples of Social Inclusion Projects Supported

The following provides summary information on four social inclusion projects supported by the Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders Objective 5b Programmes.

NAME OF PROJECT	MACHARS ACTION LTD: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (PEC/95/040)
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT	Machars Action Community Development project was developed from a joint undertaking by the five Community Councils and two Traders Associations in the Machars, the peninsula south of Newton Stewart. The project sought to tackle rural disadvantage by providing community-led development and support services at a local level and by maximising the benefits of a co-operative approach to problem solving. Close working partnerships and service agreements with the local authorities and the local enterprise company which provided financial support would be established.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES	The Business Plan for 1995-1999 identified the prime strategic objective of Machars Action being to improve the quality of social and economic life for the communities of Machars; by developing and/or managing projects which would provide better services and facilities for local people and visitors; by influencing other organisations to undertake such projects and activities; by ensuring that local communities were fully involved in and informed of the company’s work. The work of the company falls into three main sections; The Core Project – Community Development and Tourism The Community Information Service Project (PEC/95/044) The Transport Co-ordination Project The purpose of the project was to improve the quality of social and economic life of the communities of the Machars through supporting the economic objectives of the 5b Programme. The objectives being; aiming for a more dynamic business environment; a broader economic base; increased employment opportunities; improved links and liaison between authorities, agencies and local communities.
ACTIVITIES	The project undertook a range of activities and services relating to: Tourism Economic and business support Social and community support.
STRUCTURE	Machars Action Limited was set-up as a company limited by guarantee. The Board consisting of up to 15 directors work on a voluntary basis and include representatives from the local authority. Two full-time members of staff are employed by the company.
FINANCE	Total costs of project	Ł302,000
	Total eligible costs	Ł302,000
	Total grant request	Ł151,000
	ERDF grant was requested to cover revenue expenditure over 5 years. The project was supported by co-financing from Dumfries and Galloway Enterprise and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

PERFORMANCE	OUTPUTS	APPROVED TARGETS	TOTAL REPORTED ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE
	Production of community newsletter	13	14
	Production & marketing of Tourism Cassette	3	1
	No of Voluntary Organisations provided with clerical & accounting services	50	70
	Establishment economic/commercial database	1	1
	Maintenance of economic/commercial database	4	4
	Establishment of funding database	1	1
	Maintenance of funding database	4	4
	Direct contact with other community development organisations in other areas	22	41
	Potential new enterprises provided with advice/direction	30	55
	Promotion and co-ordination of local community/voluntary projects	23	39
	Hours given to Admin help/advice	1300	3800
	The project to date has exceeded in almost all targets as identified above.
FUTURE	Machars Action is likely to continue to provide a benefit to the local community through continued support from the local authority and local enterprise company.

NAME OF PROJECT	COMMUNITY INFORMATION SERVICE (PEC/95/044)
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT	A revenue application was submitted to Priority Two, Measure Five (Village Development and Rural Heritage) by Machars Action Ltd. This project was initiated in January 1996 by Machars Action. The project resulted from extensive consultation with local communities and local service providers and a prior appraisal was carried out by the Economic Development Department of the then Regional Council.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES	The project was intended as a pilot, providing an information service for the remote and rural communities in the Machars. The aim of the project was to provide a channel for information between local authorities and other official agencies/service providers and local communities, reinforcing social inclusion and counteracting the remoteness of the rural areas.
ACTIVITIES	The five key categories of information to be provided were: information supporting social cohesion information supporting local business information relating to European resources information supporting agriculture tourist information.
STRUCTURE	A part-time post was created to deal specifically with the project, under the umbrella of Machars Action Ltd.
FINANCE	Total costs of project		Ł21,100
	Total eligible costs		Ł20,600
	Total grant requested		Ł10,300
	ERDF support was requested to assist with staff costs, management and other library staff time, consumable materials, IT equipment and software, training and publicity. Co-financing for the project was made available from Dumfries and Galloway Council.
PERFORMANCE	OUTPUTS	APPROVED TARGETS		TOTAL REPORTED ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE
	No of people accessing service	3750		4769
	No of SMEs assisted	140		101
	Creation of part-time post	1		1
	IMPACTS
	No of training places indirectly created	160		295
	No of counselling sessions	400		445
	The project has helped to support community development by supporting individuals in the wider community, providing direct and indirect information for the development of SMEs, reinforcing social inclusion, and helping to overcome the problems of peripherality.
	The applicant will be using the output figures from the project to support a bid for funding from the National Lotteries Charity Board to continue and develop the work of the information service. In the last six months of the project an increasing number of community groups have used the information service to access Funderfinder in order to identify possible sources of funding for voluntary and community activities.
FUTURE	Machars Information Service has been awarded a grant of Ł188,760 by the National Lottery Charities Board. The Lottery grant will be spread over 3 years to develop the Information Service. This project will combine development of the pilot information service with increased use of IT facilities which were previously finance by ERDF and Local Authority grants. The current part-time post created by the pilot information service will be replaced with one full-time and two part-time posts. The key aims of Machars Information Service over the next year are: to continue and extend the outreach support surgeries operated under the pilot scheme to provide internet access sessions for local young people in the 12-25 age range to take over from Machars Action the responsibility of producing the local newsletter.

NAME OF PROJECT	VOLUNTARY SECTOR EUROPEAN AWARENESS PROJECT (DG/TA/002)
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT	An analysis of the Galloway 5b Programme highlighted a lack of projects generated by local voluntary organisations. European funding was requested to appoint Liaison Officers with adequate administrative backup, to pro-actively identify voluntary organisations which could contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the SPD. The role of the Liaison Officers was to meet, discuss and outline the opportunities available to such organisations and provide development support and training for those who wish to participate in the relevant EU Programme.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES	The project aimed to promote a wider understanding of the role of the EU and its development programmes, highlight the opportunities these present, offer information in regards to the selection criteria laid down in order to access these programmes and provide access to training, development support and assistance to voluntary organisations and other independent sector within Dumfries and Galloway. This was intended to ensure a wider community access to structural funds and development programmes.
ACTIVITIES	The key activities of the Liaison Officers were: pro-actively identify organisations that could benefit from EU funds target on average 48 organisations per year meet, discuss and outline the opportunities available to such organisations submit detailed reports to the Programme Executive and JMC
STRUCTURE	Two liaison officers were appointed which were managed by a Joint Management Board consisting of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Federation of Councils of Voluntary Service and the Programme Executive.
FINANCE	Total costs of project	Ł87,851
	Total eligible costs	Ł87,851
	Total grant requested	Ł43,925
	Match funding for the project was contributed by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
PERFORMANCE	OUTPUTS		APPROVED TARGETS	TOTAL REPORTED ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE
	No of Voluntary Organisations Visited		168	104
	No provided with Training		74	71
	No provided with Development Support		74	115
	No of Mobile Training Centres		2	2
	No of European Funding Applications Generated		64	54
	No of Temporary Jobs Created		2	2
	No of Rural Development Projects		12	12
	No of Community Enterprises		6	9
	No of Partnerships Created		23	15
	No of Village Renewal Schemes		2	0
	No of Community Appraisal Schemes		2	2
FUTURE	An independent evaluation of the project is currently being conducted. A report will be submitted by the end of February and the outcome will determine the future.

NAME OF PROJECT	SCOTTISH BORDERS RURAL RESOURCE CENTRE
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT	The Scottish Borders Rural Partnership established the Scottish Borders Rural Resource Centre as a key pilot project to achieve the objectives of the Partnership. Initially the project was funded by The Scottish Office Rural Partnership Fund, Scottish Borders Council and the Borders LEADER II Programme. The initial pilot project proved successful and was subsequently mainstreamed into the Borders Objective 5b Programme in 1999.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES	The key aims and objectives of the project are to: encourage and support community groups and organisations to identify issues related to the improvement of the quality of life, including economic base, services and the environment in their area. respond to expressed need encourage a grass roots approach provide appropriate information and training to increase the skills and capability of local communities; provide and assist the development, funding and implementation of rural community-based development projects. The Rural Resource Centre welcomes both individuals and organisations to discuss project ideas and implementation, or to use its library (which includes information on the partners, examples of successful rural community projects, computer-based funding information and access to the Internet). Spatially the project is targeted at rural areas although the whole of the Borders apart from Galashiels and Hawick, the two largest settlements, are served.
ACTIVITIES	The Rural Resource Centre focuses on the following activities in order to equip communities for the 21st Century. the local provision of capacity building personal development workshops/courses, on topics such as confidence building, skills auditing, community leadership, group work, committee and communications issues, realising latent and transferable talents; assisting communities to consider opportunities for diversification, economic development and the protection and conservation of the rural environment. This process will ensure that a community gives thought to its long term future; the establishment and use of community "focus groups" to identify issues of concern for presentation to and co-ordinated action by the partners in the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership; the expansion of rural seminars and information packs for community groups on such topics as project planning and sustainability; research into the mid term (low tech) information requirements of rural communities followed by the use of an appropriate rural information network; implementation of the recommendations of a study on the provision of future IT needs of the rural communities of the Scottish Borders; use of a mobile rural resource centre to reach the more remote areas of the Scottish Borders;

STRUCTURE	The Rural Resource Centre has a physical presence in the form of a specially designed sustainable building sited in the Central Borders. It also has a presence across the region as fieldworkers are based in the offices of local Associations of Voluntary Services. Project Funds are used: 1) to employ three full-time equivalent (f.t.e) field work staff to deliver the above services; 2) to employ 0.75 f.t.e. administrative and support staff whose work includes funding research, Rural Resource Centre library maintenance and implementation of appropriate rural information network; 3) to employ and train a Project Co-ordinator; 4) to provide appropriate materials and resources for community development; 5) to support and develop the skills and expertise of the project team The staff are managed by the Project Co-ordinator of the Rural Resource Centre, who reports to the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership.
FINANCE	Total costs of project	Ł104,500
	Total eligible costs	Ł104,500
	Total grant requested	Ł52,250
	Match funding for the project was contributed by Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Borders Enterprise and other partners. This funding package supports the project for approximately 14 months.
PERFORMANCE	OUTPUTS		APPROVED TARGETS		TOTAL REPORTED ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE
	No of businesses assisted		6		4
	No of rural conservation projects assisted		6		3
	No of village renewal projects assisted		5		2
	No of communities assisted with projects		24		10
	NB All of these outputs relate to completed works. There are a considerable number of ongoing community projects.
	IMPACTS
	No of Rural Challenge Fund grants		3	0
	No of Lottery Grants assisted		5	4
	No of other grants awarded		6	7
FUTURE	This project is continuing to perform well and provide important, and innovative, support to local communities, particularly in rural areas. The Rural Partnership sees the continuation of the project as a priority and a funding package is being prepared to develop the project further under the Objective 2 Programme.