From April 2006, a new agency, Capacitybuilders coordinates the activities of ChangeUp nationally. £70 million of funding, including resources for the national hubs, will be provided in 2006/07 and 2007/08. A £7m ChangeUp continuation fund aims to maintain momentum of local and regional work in 2006/07 - equivalent to 30% of the funding allocated for such work during that year. Guidance was published by the Home Office in October 2005 about this funding:
ChangeUp Infrastructure Investment Programme Continuation Fund 2006/2007 - Guidance for Government Offices 
123k
Continuation Fund - Outline of Guidance Relevant to East Midlands 127k
Objectives of the Continuation Fund
- Maintain momentum within the ChangeUp programme
- Ensure good practice and learning from work is not lost
- Provide a platform of activity from which the Capacity Builders can build
£658,700 of the Continuation / transition funding is being made available in the East Midlands for 2006/07. Up to 50% of allocation will be ring-fenced for the development of consortia and decision-making mechanisms to ensure that consortia are able to operate until the end of March 2007
Of the remaining 50% it is expected that at least 5% and not more than 25% of this money will be spent on regional and thematic projects
Full proposals for projects for continuation funding will relate to support for up to 12 months within 2006/07 and:
- Directly contribute to the needs of the sector, the six key areas identified in ChangeUp or modernisation of the sector.
- Represent a step change for the sector
- Priorities identified in the IIP
- Have a high probability of funding from other sources beyond 2007
Decision making relating to agreement of activities of Consortia and projects to be supported
There is a proposal to establish a regional group to agree the decisions relating to the transition fund. This will be built from membership from each of the existing consortia together with other stakeholders to include funders of infrastructure, GOEM etc. This model has been discussed and will be agreed in the very near future.
This should not be seen as a Window 4 bidding round. Informed decisions will be made against two core criteria – compliance with guidance and evidence of need.
Budget
There is a general acceptance that the budget of £658,700 is unlikely to meet the needs of consortia and projects. Work has begun to identify any further match funding.
Documents
EM5 Update on ChangeUp Progress and Transition Funding 149k
Appendix 1 - Payment Profile 31k
Appendix 3 - Transition Fund Consortia Request 40k
Appendix 4 - Consortium Details 32k
