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UKSPF 2022/23 Quarter 4 Update:
On 5th December 2022 the Department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) approved the Investment Plan submitted in August 2022. Since then the authority has returned the Memorandum of Understanding and received year 1 grant at the end of January 2023. Due to the delay in approving year 1 grants the government agreed that authorities can carry over any underspend from year 1 into year 2. There was £7,397 underspend across year 1 as shown in the table below. It was agreed by the Leader that this underspend would be used on equipment and added to the Creative Communities Fund that was extremely oversubscribed in year 2.
Preparatory and delivery work for year 2 projects has continued with project leads, the year 2 projects include:
- Creative Communities Fund
- Continued Events expertise and Advertisements for events
- Literature Festival
- Iggy Sculpture Trail
- Arts Carnival
- Feasibility Study for a Community Arts Hub
- Borough Insight
- Green volunteering project to improve Town Centre Green Spaces
In April 2023 the authority received confirmation that the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) investment plan had been approved by Government. The first year of spending of this is 2023/24. The first round of applications was opened in mid-April and closes in June 2023.
|
Intervention |
Project |
Detail |
2022/23 budget |
Amount spent: |
£ Committed |
Q4 Update: |
|
E1: Improvements to town centres & high streets |
Project B A Safe and Attractive Town Centre achieved through Greening and Lighting |
Feasibility study in year 1. The feasibility study will be combined with other work required for the Town Centre Strategy so the amount allocated reflects the study being partly funded from the TCS allocation |
£20,000 |
£20,000 |
|
Consultant started work in January 2023, a feasibility study is nearly complete and will form part of the wider Town Centre Strategy that will be adopted in 2023. |
|
E6: Local arts, cultural, heritage & creative activities |
Project A - Building Pride in Place through promotion of the Town Centre and Events. |
Creative communities funds for local organisations and groups to support events |
£30,000 |
£30,000 |
|
Completed. In 2022/23 a single round was published, funding was then distributed across 18 projects. |
|
Festive Trail event – working with One Maidstone to create a festive trail to run through the Town Centre |
£20,000 |
£19,999 |
|
Completed in December 2022. |
||
|
Events Expertise to develop bespoke events |
£4,500 |
£4,200 |
|
Support for the Festive Trail and Magic of Xmas Parade. |
||
|
Equipment purchase to support events |
£15,000 |
£12,249 |
Videography equipment, speaker on wheels, Go Pro and accessories, uplighters for events, equipment storage, poster cases, event furniture. |
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|
E8: Campaigns to encourage visits and exploring of local area |
Project A - Building Pride in Place through promotion of the Town Centre and Events. |
Advertising budget to promote events across all channels |
£20,000 |
£16,122 |
|
Support the Festive Trail, Magic of Xmas Parade, Lunar Festival, Light Festival and many others. |
|
Borough Insight Events and Town centre focussed |
£25,000 |
£25,000 |
|
Completed. |
||
|
Promotional video for business and events in TC |
£5,218 |
£4,750 |
Promotional video for the Magic of Xmas Parade. |
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|
|
Management Overheads |
£5,822 |
£5,820 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total: |
£145,540 |
£138,143 |
£0 |
£7,397 underspend carried over to year 2. |
|
|
|
£138,143 |
|
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