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To set up an
additional fourth UKSPF Fund for Upskilling, Coach Education and
Workforce Development Grant under the UKSPF ‘Sport and
Activity Grants’.

Reasons for the decision

To release an
additional fourth grant to upskill and train local volunteers and
coaching providers. This will ensure that the allocated UKSPF fund
to ‘Sport and Activity Grants’ is fully utilised before
the March 2026 deadline.
 
The UKSPF
programme, established in 2022 by Central Government, is part of a
wider programme which has allocated funding nationwide to Councils
for locally led delivery. Funding has been delivered via Multiply,
the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), and Shared Prosperity
Fund Programmes. 
 
The programme will
initially draw to a close at the end of
2024/25, however, a transition year was announced by MHCLG for
2025/26.
 
It was announced in
December 2024 that Tendring had been allocated £563,028 (made
up of £71,771 capital and £491,257 revenue), via an
updated funding formula, to be allocated to projects across three
themes in 2025/26. Some of this funding has already been allocated
by Cabinet (report in the link within this decision).
 
The themes are
unchanged from the previous programme, and supported by sub-themes
as follows:
 
•          
Communities and Place 
•          
Supporting Local Business 
•          
People and Skills 
 
On 21 February 2025
Cabinet approved acceptance of the UKSPF 2025/26 and delegated the
Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism to
approve the award of grants to organisations under the UKSPF.
 
On 10 July &
7th October 2025, the Cabinet Member for Economic Growth,
Regeneration and Tourism approved the scoring criteria to be used
to assess these open call applications: 
Acceptance of the UKSPF 2025/26 Scoring Criteria.
 
A panel of officers
drawn from across the Council applied the scoring criteria to
assess the funding bids. The scores have been combined to identify
those bids with the highest score.  
 
The Cabinet Member
for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism in the decision above
is approving allocation of funding to the highest scoring bids as
recommended by the panel. 
 
Applications of the
UKSPF Sports & Leisure Widening Participation Grant are subject
to a required pass mark & scoring panel before being awarded
allocated funds of £500 & up to £1000 in
exceptional circumstances.
 
Successful
submissions are notified of the decision and agree to adhere to
legal requirements of the fund and all monitoring
responsibilities.

Alternative options considered

Not to launch an
open call funding scheme and reducing opportunities for local
businesses and community groups to thrive. 
 
To give the funding
to alternative projects, however we followed the scoring criteria
rigorously. The proposed applications have been selected by the
scoring panel by following approved criteria. 
 
Remaining funds
which have not been awarded will be sent back to central
government. The grant funding has not been exhausted from the
number of applications.