Bristol Objective 2 Action Plan
What is an Action Plan?
Local regeneration of the area can only be achieved through the co-ordinated efforts of residents, community groups, voluntary organisations and local businesses working together to tackle the full range of needs of the area. Action Plans are a simple tool for local delivery of part of the regional programme. The Action Plan covers the period 2001 - 2008.
The Bristol Objective 2 Action Plan will address the socio-economic and environmental problems of 69,422 people living and working in the disadvantaged communities of Easton, Ashley, Lawrence Hill, Windmill Hill and Filwood.
(Click here to see a map.)
This document was developed over the course of the SW programming period which ran up to 2006. The Action Plan was periodically reviewed and updated in response to changes in local and regional circumstances, and in response to local demand following capacity-building and levels of empowerment of local communities.
Why an Action Plan?
The Bristol Objective 2 Action Plan approach for this regeneration process enables:
- Local ownership and control
The Action Plan enables a high degree of local ownership and control of projects receiving European Funding from the Objective 2 programme; including input into overall strategic direction, which projects to fund, and monitoring and evaluation processes.
- Strategic integrated and coherent framework for joined up delivery
The Action Plan enables funding to be used to maximise strategic and local benefit, where appropriate using it in conjunction with other regeneration and mainstream spending.
- Simple, effective, and innovative delivery
The Action Plan allowed for the introduction of accessible and simplified applications, monitoring and payments systems. This was particularly important to smaller organisations without the capacity to directly manage European funding which might otherwise be excluded from the programme.
Links to the Regional Programme
This Action Plan fully accords with the South West of England Objective 2 Single Programming Document (SPD), and contributes to the delivery of the following SPD measures:
Priority 1: Neighbourhood Renewal
The Strategic Objectives
The Action Plan has 3 strategic objectives which are directly related to the three measures under the Priority 1: Neighbourhood Renewal are to:
- Develop the potential of the local community
- Address social, economic and environmental decline and disadvantage
- Remove barriers to employment and training for disadvantaged groups
There are also three overarching themes, which each project should seek to address:
| A) |
Ensure that minority groups gain access to better quality opportunities to enhance their employment prospects in the future. |
| B) |
Promote the use of information and communication technology within the Bristol Objective 2 area. |
| C) |
Ensure that enhancements to economic performance are of added benefit to the local environment. |
Funding Under The Action Plan
Under the Action Plan the following funding was made available. These funds have now all been committed to projects and are to be spent by Autumn 2008:
- Strategic Objective 1 £829,492 ERDF
- Strategic Objective 2 £7,056,121 ERDF
- Strategic Objective 3 £2,724,900 ESF
TOTAL FUNDING: £10,610,513
The Partnership / Management Arrangements
The Bristol Objective 2 Neighbourhood Action Plan has been drawn up in consultation with local residents and representatives of local voluntary and community groups, and other stakeholders through a range of open meetings.
Objective 2 programme rules set out the requirements for managing an action plan. It is owned and managed by The Bristol Partnership, which includes these 'key interests':
- Local authority
- Learning and Skills Council
- Job Centre Plus
- Business Link West
- Higher/Further Education
- Environmental agencies
- Private Sector
- Voluntary Community sector
The Regeneration Group (RG) (Formerly known as the Regeneration Delivery Group and, before December 2004, The Regeneration Programmes Management Group). The role of the group is to ensure the strategic co-ordination and delivery of major regeneration programmes in Bristol. The RG's operational responsibilities include the consideration and approval of Objective 2 grants for individual projects based on the reports of the Technical Appraisal Panel, which assesses the quality and viability of each project and reports its findings to the RG. It is a 'hands on' group that is actively involved at all stages of a project's lifecycle: development, approval, implementation and evaluation.
The membership of the RG is representative of the key organisations from the city's public, private and voluntary sector. The group comprises members from agencies represented within the Bristol Partnership, as well as other individuals with considerable experience and skills in the implementation of regeneration programmes. Bristol City Council is the accountable body for the Bristol Objective 2 Neighbourhood Action Plan, with overall responsibility for the proper operational/financial management of the plan.
Downloadable Documents
| Document Name |
Word Format |
PDF Format |
| Summary Action Plan |
Word |
PDF |
| Full Action Plan |
Word |
PDF |
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective 1: Develop the potential of the local community
SW Programme Measure 1.1. Neighbourhood Ownership, Leadership and Democracy
This objective seeks to engage local communities in the target area through capacity building working directly with community groups to identify and address local issues thus improving social cohesion. The objective aims to encourage greater community participation and enhance community confidence.
Indicative actions:
The Action Plan will support initiatives which:
- Increase the effectiveness and inclusiveness of partnerships working across the Objective 2 area.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Development of new community based networks and partnerships to take forward community based activity and action.
- Encourage information sharing and advice provision.
- Enable communities to be more involved in and benefit from community based activities and action.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Capacity building for community representatives to develop, run and own community based projects / initiatives.
- Promotion / marketing of the project
- Awareness raising activities
- Sharing good practice - visiting other parts of the country to look at a similar project
- Work with communities to develop effective local strategies to address the issues in their area in conjunction with the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy.
- Enhance the responsiveness to local issues through appropriate community action based analysis.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Local research.
- Review of initiatives, which have taken place in the target area.
- Consultation exercises with the local community.
- Feasibility studies of the economic, social and environmental viability of the project proposal.
- Enhance individuals' capacity through mentoring and flexible community based learning opportunities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Advice and support for developing community leadership
- Support for active citizenship.
- Support for community workers to facilitate capacity building
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Employment of full-time, part-time and voluntary support workers.
- Employment of community based animateurs
Strategic Objective 1 relates directly to the objectives of Measure 1.1. in the SPD - Neighbourhood Ownership, Leadership and Democracy.
Strategic Objective 2: Address social, economic and environmental decline and disadvantage
SW Programme Measure 1.2. Taking Forward Neighbourhood Regeneration
This objective seeks to develop integrated projects which contribute towards developing sustainable neighbourhoods focusing on community enterprise and social economy to create jobs for local people.
Indicative actions:
The Action Plan will support initiatives which:
Capital
- Provide, refurbish and extend new and existing community buildings, assets and facilities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Development of derelict sites
- Improvements to the accessibility of community buildings
- Provision of new IT facilities within community buildings to enable the delivery of learning opportunities, advice and guidance.
- Provide space and resources for communities and social economy organisations to expand their capacity and develop new initiatives.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Provision of new workshop space.
- Provision of new business space.
- Provision of incubator units.
- Provision of community transport facilities
- Develop initiatives to enable communities to take ownership of their local environment by tackling environmental degradation.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Redevelopment of key community sites in the target area where there are links to part of an economic regeneration strategy.
- Improvements to the local business environment.
- Improve facilities for the delivery of learning opportunities, employment, enterprise and community based activities with associated childcare facilities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Provision of new and upgraded childcare facilities linked to accessing employment opportunities.
- Provision of facilities for the delivery of training and enterprise services (with associated childcare facilities where required).
Revenue
- Support for links between integrated project planning.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Feasibility and research studies.
- Support for local community staff helping to undertake regeneration activities.
- Support the development of community enterprise and social economy organisations and initiatives to provide new employment opportunities for local people.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Arts and cultural projects to enhance the positive image of the area.
- Business start-up assistance and ongoing support.
- Intermediate Labour Market Initiatives.
- Advice on business planning and development.
- Grants and loans.
- Volunteering support activities.
- Develop community finance initiatives to help tackle the problems of financial exclusion.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Credit unions.
- Local Exchange and Trading Schemes (LETS).
- Support community safety and crime prevention initiatives, where linked to an economic regeneration strategy.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Safe routes to school.
- Improve management of pedestrian routes.
- Improve the safety and design of public open space and other public places.
- Neighbourhood wardens.
Strategic Objective 2 relates directly to the objectives of Measure 1.2. in the SPD - Taking Forward Neighbourhood Regeneration.
Strategic Objective 3: Remove barriers to employment and training for disadvantaged groups
SW Programme Measure 1.3. Pathways To Employment
This objective seeks to create learning and employment opportunities within the Bristol Objective 2 area targeting the most disadvantages groups. Particular attention is to be given to changing people's perceptions, aspirations and attitudes to learning in order that they gain the confidence and necessary skills to progress into employment. This objective aims to ensure improvements in the quality of provision within the target area.
Indicative Actions:
The Action Plan will support initiatives which:
- Develop opportunities focussing on basic and key skills training.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Literacy training.
- Numeracy training.
- Language skills.
- Motivation/ confidence building.
- Develop opportunities for technical and specialist skills training in key sectors.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Environmental training.
- IT training.
- Support for childcare provision to enable beneficiaries to access to training and employment opportunities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- After school clubs.
- Nursery costs.
- Provide careers advice, information and guidance.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- Individual pre-training and pre-employment support.
- One stop advice, guidance and careers counselling.
- Social and personal skills development.
- Job search initiatives.
- Advice and route planning.
- Develop links between local businesses, learning institutions and community based activities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- business involvement in local education initiatives.
- work preparation / taster experience schemes in schools and colleges.
- entrepreunership training provision.
- apprenticeships schemes.
- wage / employment subsidy.
- Ensure equality of opportunities for recruiting staff, skills match and job brokerage.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- assistance in local recruitment.
- development of personal passports and company profiles
- Provide vocational learning opportunities.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- youth enterprise schemes with business mentoring.
- work related experience in schools and colleges.
- youth business forum.
- intermediate labour markets and learning through work.
- after school clubs and woodwork clubs.
- Develop materials for training and new methods of delivery.
The type of activity which could be supported includes:
- On-line delivery.
- Learning clubs.
- Drop-in centres
Strategic Objective 3 relates directly to the objectives of Measure 1.3. in the SPD - Pathways to Employment.
