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Allerdale Borough Council’s Delivery Plan and Social Impact Investment Fund proposals receive approval

Luke Stamper

Luke Stamper

Posted on 22 April 2022

Allerdale Borough Council’s Executive members met this week [20 April 2022], to approve the Authority’s priorities for the next 12 months as well as the allocation of funds from the Allerdale Social Impact Investment Fund for 2022/23.

The Council’s Delivery Plan sets out specific activity to be undertaken during the next year in working towards achieving the objectives set out in the Council Strategy. It will also be used to report progress against Council Strategy properties during 2022/23. 

The Delivery Plan follows six priorities set out in the Council Strategy:

  • A financially secure council
  • A cleaner, greener Allerdale
  • Invest to grow
  • Outstanding local services
  • Thriving towns and villages
  • Resilient communities

For each priority a series of key projects and activities are set out, in addition to key performance measures focused on the effective delivery of key activities to Council services. 

These activities include further development of the Council’s hybrid working practices, carrying out recycling initiatives and educational programmes to reduce waste, making improvements for customers by expanding the range of customer queries that can be managed through Customer Services as a first point of contact, and delivering a programme of events and festivals in our towns. The Delivery Plan also includes a commitment to develop its regeneration projects in Maryport and Workington. 

Since 2014, the Board of Sellafield Ltd, has agreed annually to allocate up to £1m of funding for use by Allerdale and Copeland Borough Councils (£500,000 each) to support projects, initiatives and programmes of work that deliver social conditions for growth. In Allerdale, this has resulted in the creation of the Allerdale Social Impact Investment Fund (SIIF). 

Reviewed annually, the process of allocation is subject to the decision of the Sellafield board to provide £500,000 each to Allerdale and Copeland for socio-economic activity. 

The allocation of funds within the SIIF programme must be allocated in line with Sellafield’s Social Impact strategy and the Energy Act 2016, in addition to the Council’s own priorities in the current Council Strategy 2020-2030. 

Following yesterday’s meeting, the Council’s recommendations for the following allocations have been approved:

  • £100,000 to support the implementation of the Council’s Community Resilience Strategy. This activity will take the form of a grants programme which will support the development of new activity.
  • £75,000 to support sporting development. This funding will continue the work from previous years and support grassroots sporting development and increasing participation rates across the Borough. 
  • £125,000 to support the Council’s economic development activity linked to the delivery of the Allerdale Recovery and Growth Strategy and activity linked to the Levelling Up Agenda.
  • £200,000 to support the Council’s regeneration priorities. This funding will be utilised primarily to support the implementation of regeneration programmes in Maryport and Workington.