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Agree to extend the Service Level Agreement
with Derbyshire Voluntary Action for the Social Connectedness
project from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025.

Reasons for the decision

Voluntary Action (DVA) to plan and deliver the
social connectedness project which aims to reduce social isolation
for residents across the District. This is fully funded by
Derbyshire County Council (DCC) Public Health via the Healthy North
East Derbyshire (HNED) Partnership and will not have any financial
implications on NEDDC. The Partnership is administered by the
Programmes Management Team at NEDDC.

Public Health have confirmed a further £25,000 of ring-fenced
funding for the project to ensure continuity and consistency of
service for residents and community groups until 31st March 2025.
There is also recognition that the project staff employed by DVA
would negatively be affected by the contract coming to and at this
time.

DVA has spent several years raising the profile of this work and
have developed good relationships between public and voluntary
sector agencies as well as community groups and volunteers. A new
delivery partner would take time to forge these relationships and
there is a risk of impact on delivery.

Key elements of the project, which run in parallel, are funded by
UK Shared Prosperity, for which NEDDC is the Accountable Body. This
funding is until March 2025 and maintaining the Public Health
funded activity ensures maximum impact for residents and community
groups across the District.

Alternative options considered

A retender at this time will have a negative
impact on community groups, residents and staff employed to deliver
the project. There is also a risk that the established steering
group, set up to oversee the delivery of this activity, would stall
and partnerships with other agencies may be lost.