Decision

To reallocate the remaining £2,035.45 from the UKSPF funded Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) Officer budget, to finance a creative micro grants programme supporting high quality creative and cultural activities for children and young people across Tendring. In addition, to approve the scoring criteria used to assess and award received funding applications.

Reasons for the decision

On 21st February 2025, Cabinet approved the recommendation to allocate £26,500 to the continuation of Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) Officer role.
After salary and on-costs for the post were allocated, an underspend of £2,035.45 has been identified
The underspend sits within the “Communities & Place, Healthy, Safe and Inclusive Communities and Inclusive” theme so therefore it is proposed that the underspend is spent on creating opportunities for young people in Tendring.
Utilising underspend to deliver micro-grants represents strong value for money, enabling continued investment in cultural activity without requiring additional funding. It ensures that resources are used in line with their original purpose while maximising impact.
This approach creates an opportunity to pilot a targeted micro-grant programme for culture, designed to empower young people, raise aspirations, and support skills development. It will also contribute to reducing inequalities and align with wider strategic objectives relating to wellbeing, opportunity and inclusive growth.
In addition the scoring criteria for the micro-grant opportunity has been included in Appendix A_LCEP Micro-Grants Scoring Criteria and provide a transparent approach to scoring.
The proposed criteria aligns with previously approved UK Shared Prosperity Fund Grant Frameworks, ensuring consistency and strategic coherence.
All funding is to be spent and fully accounted for by 30th September 2026, with all project activity invoiced and completed with evaluation reports by 24th September 2026.

Alternative options considered

To not reallocate the funds and return the money to MHCLG.
Without investment in creative and cultural activity, opportunities to support, engage and create meaningful pathways for young people in Tendring would be significantly reduced.