CLG seeks bids for small underspend on CGP

The Department of Communities and Local Government is offering a "very small amount" of underspend within the Communities Grant Programme (CGP) for organisations that can spend before the end of the programme on March 31st 2015. The deadline for submission of any bids is 22nd August 2014, so the opportunity is only available to organisations that are poised and ready with projects in existing pipelines. What is perhaps surprising is that the amount of underspend available is "very small": anecdotally there has been significant under-delivery and underspend within the CGP not vastly different from the position within the HCA programme. Were that the case, one might have expected more underspend to become available. There have some indications that funding allocated within the CGP that has not been spent by the profiled year-end has not been rolled forward to the following year but simply returned to the CLG main capital pot (whereas money within the HCA programme would certainly remain within the programme until March 31st 2015). This would explain a relative lack of available underspend - money not spent on time has simply been lost to the programme. The alternative explanation is that the money has been rolled forwards but that the funded organisations are still expecting to spend their original allocations. Further enquiries will be made to CLG to try and clarify the postion. It would seem appropriate for organisations to bid for whatever they genuiniely think they can deliver by the target date. The size of hte underspend has not been stated and presumably if bids exceed available amount they will simply be scaled down accordingly. CLG (via Tribal Group) is inviting bids on the basis that properties can be "identified and secured" by end of October 2014. The letter is attached to this story for your information along with the application form. Contact details for Tribal are as follows: Jennie Bryce
Project Manager, Services & Solutions Tribal
1st Floor, 154 Great Charles Street, Queensway, Birmingham, B3 3HN
T 0121 233 7128
M 07876716393
www.tribalgroup.com