The four Community Initiatives for the period 2000-2006 are:
- LEADER +
- Urban II
- Equal
- Interreg III
All four community initiatives run in the East Midlands. LEADER+ and Urban II are administered by us in partnership with local organisations who manage the funding to achieve the best results for their local communities. For the Equal and Interreg III programmes we act in an advisory capacity to the departments that have national responsibility for the programmes but we are not involved directly in running the programmes.
LEADER+
This is an initiative that supports small-scale, innovative projects addressing local rural development issues. It aims to involve local communities in developing and testing new approaches to integrated and sustainable development and is intended to complement the England Rural Development Plan. GOEM is responsible for the LEADER+ programme in the East Midlands, processing applications and claims submitted by Local Action Groups (LAG's) and monitoring the progress of the programme in the region. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for the programme at a national level.
Applications for the Leader + Programme closed in December 2006, with final payments being made to projects in January 2009
There are three LAGs in this region:
- The Peak Dales and Moorlands Plan aims to find, assess and answer the social and economic needs and aspirations of the Peak District, and add quality to local rural life and value to local rural products. It will target women and young people through an integrated framework of project strands.
- The Rockingham Rural Revival Plan aims to link capacity building with environmental action, underpinned by strong local branding and sustainable enterprise. It includes proposals for exemplar projects concerned with self-help community design, local products marketing, virtual tourism and an ‘Arts Meets Environment’ festival.
- The Lincolnshire Fenland Plan sets out a community vision for the competitiveness of the local horticultural industry in order to enhance the image, confidence and prosperity of the area. The project aims to utilise know how and technologies to make horticultural products and services more competitive and, in turn, improve the quality of life for local people.
Urban II
Urban II is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and supports innovative strategies to regenerate cities and urban areas.
Within the East Midlands some £7.7 million of Urban II funding has been allocated to the Derby City Partnership to support regeneration in the Normanton area of Derby. The programme, known as 'The Spirit of Normanton', supports a range of community driven projects which seek to tackle issues such as unemployment, exclusion and crime within a multi-ethnic inner city area. Projects supported include the Arboretum Restoration, Homesafe Community Confidence, Normanton Regeneration Centre and Evergreen Normanton.
GOEM is the managing authority for the Urban II programme in Derby. Communities and Local Government (CLG) has responsibility at a national level for the programme.
Equal
Equal is a trans-national programme which tests new ways to reduce inequality in the labour market. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for this programme. Organisations taking part in Equal develop innovative approaches to fight discrimination faced by those in work and those seeking work. Development Partnerships work with and learn from other Member States taking part in the programme.
Equal mirrors the four key elements of the European Employment Strategy:
- employability
- entrepreneurship
- adaptability
- equal opportunities
There are a number of Development Partnerships in the East Midlands region. For more information on the Equal programme and the achievements of the various Development Partnerships please use the links below to the Equal and Equal Works websites.
Interreg III
This is an initiative that encourages cross-border, trans-national and inter-regional co-operation on spatial planning. It is intended to encourage harmonious and balanced development of the European territory.
The initiative has three strands:
Interreg IIIA - cross border co-operation between neighbouring authorities on spatial development.
Interreg IIIB - transnational co-operation on spatial planning and development between national, regional and local authorities (LAs) and a wide range of non-governmental organisations.
Interreg IIIC - interregional co-operation intended to improve the effectiveness of policies and instruments for regional development. The CLG is responsible for this programme.
GOEM's role is to:
- assist the CLG in the assessment of bids received which are either led by organisations in the region or involve regional partners. The bids are assessed against various priorities in the region.
- offer advice and support to prospective East Midlands applicants in preparing their bids, to try to ensure potential projects stand a good chance of success once submitted.
For more information on Interreg III see the link below to the national website.
