North Somerset
Posted on Thu 19 January 2012
Lesson learned in brief: the value and impact of the role of the Local Panel in shifting attitudes from service delivery towards strategic development and sustainability in the later stages of the programme.
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Following on from last year's End of Year report which highlighted the case of North Somerset Enterprise Agency and the relationship between its project development and the Local Panel.
The learning in this case clearly indicates the value and impact of the role of the Local Panel in shifting attitudes from service delivery towards strategic development and sustainability in the later stages of the programme. It also illustrates the value of working closely with organisations with whom a funder has a long-term relationship with and perseverance to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.
As reported last year North Somerset Enterprise Agency applied for funding to continue direct support to social enterprise and, in the light of the new impetus for sustainability planning for all funded projects, the panel felt that not enough emphasis had been placed on ensuring that the project would be able to carry on once Fair Share Trust funding ceased. They therefore rejected the application in that format in November 2010 but held open the offer of two years' funding subject to a more strategic project proposal focusing more on embedding support for social enterprise within the local area and its decision making arenas. NSEA then worked with the Fair Share Trust Evaluation & Sustainability Officer on refining the scope and nature of the new project over the next few months until a radically different offer was achieved. The new project agreed in September 2011 (DIGITS ref: 19151) accepts that direct support for social enterprises is part of the overall NSEA package of support and uses the FST money to utilise the Director's time to promote and advocate for social enterprise at the local strategic partnership and other agencies.
The organisation has managed to recruit support from other LSP partners – particularly relevant in the light of diminishing public sector funding for services and the emerging policy of transferring previously public services into other forms. NSEA is clear that the project development process has already raised the profile of social enterprise and of their own organisation in promoting support. They acknowledge that they have developed as a direct result – they have new contacts and networks, better linkages with VANS (for example), and better partnership working possibilities that would not have happened otherwise.
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