ESFVON
European Social Fund Voluntary Organisations Northern
Post - 1999: Commission Guidelines published
The Voluntary and Community Sector - consultation on Post - 1999
OBJECTIVE 3
1999 Applications and Appeals
1998 Significant Changes and Underspends
Monitoring
ERMS (ESFVON Record Management System)
OBJECTIVE 2
ESFVON - Development of Support
ESF and ERDF Objective 2 Package Applications
Project Monitoring
EDRF Expenditure
Advance Payment Forms
The European Commission has published its draft guidance for Programmes in
the period 2000 - 2006. The purpose of the guidance is to help national and
regional authorities to prepare their Objective 1, 2, and 3 Programmes for the
post - 1999 period. Its aim is to set out the priorities of the Commission
based both on past experience in the implementation of Programmes and on
current Community policies for structural assistance. The guidance will be
formalised once the new Structural Fund regulations come into force.
Key strategic priorities described in the guidelines are:
- regional competitiveness
- social cohesion and employment
- development of urban and rural areas
Other major themes include:
- the European Employment Strategy
- the conditions for investment and the impact of EMU
- Horizontal issues of Sustainable Development and Equal Opportunities
- Programme effectiveness enhanced by a strategic approach and partnership
While the guidelines are not entirely prescriptive they do give a flavour of
the types of activities - and the supporting context - that might be included
in the post - 1999 Programmes.
The guidelines run to 33 pages. They are available from the European
Secretariat, Government Office for the North East, either on paper ( telephone
Anthony Willis on:
0191 202 3908 ) or electronically ( e-mail address: eteam.gone@go-regions.gov.uk )
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Voluntary and community groups in the North East are playing an increasing role
in contributing to the regeneration of the region both through Objective 2
and Objective 3 of the Structural Funds. The new Programmes will provide further
opportunities for the sector but it is crucial that your views and experiences
are fed effectively into the consultation/planning process.
ESFVON is currently undertaking a comprehensive survey across the whole of the
region to gauge the spread of European funding among organisations and to
assess potential new opportunities. The survey also seeks to identify any
changes which groups feel are necessary for the new Objective 2 and Objective
3 Programmes, as well as seeking views on experiences of seeking and/or
achieving funding.
If you have not received a questionnaire and would like to contribute, please
contact ESFVON for a copy. Responses have been requested by 31 March 1999.
OBJECTIVE 3 ESF
As reported in the January issue of Bulletin, the first results for 1999,
resulted in voluntary organisations in the North East being approved for a
total of £4,315,638.
However, 25% of resources were held back for the appeals process which has
now been completed. A meeting of the Objective 3 Regional Committee will be
held on 24 March 1999, at which the remaining funds will be allocated to
those projects scoring suffiently highly on the Reserve Lists. We are hopeful
that further voluntary sector projects will be approved and we shall let you
know the final outcome following the meeting.
As 1998 drew to a close, it brought with it a substantial number of Significant
Changes notified to Government Office - North East, as well as belated
notified underspends.
The consequences of these late notifications is that funds which could otherwise
have been allocated, have remained unused and (with the exception of
Priority 4) have had to be returned to the "central pot".
Also, notified changes were such that in many instances projects would not
have scored as highly as they did - and might not have been approved - if
they had set the targets that they ultimately achieved.
Late approvals could account for some of the changes - but by no means all.
Many of the significant changes and underspends were from our sector and ESFVON is
eager to assist projects in minimising such effects in 1999 and future years.
Regular monitoring can provide the opportunity for early corrective action and
if you are encountering, or feel you will encounter a particular difficulty,
please do not hesiate to contact ESFVON for advice.
Increasing attention will be focused by the Government Office - North East
on the monitoring of projects during 1999. It is anticipated that all
projects will receive a monitoring visit at some stage.
Also, the submission of regular monitoring returns is currently under
consideration by the Objective 3 Regional Committee to mitigate the situation
outlined above in respect of Significant Changes and Underspends. The former
will in any event have to be notified by December 1999 even if the project
continues until June 2000 and any underspends remaining at the end of June
2000 will be lost to the region.
As has been ESFVON's practise in past years, we will also be undertaking
support visits to projects. This is not to add to your burdens - more to
ease your situation by seeking to ensure that any difficulties you might have
are resolved with you. and to ensure that systems are in place and are
adequate in the event of a formal monitoring or audit visit.
As 1999 successful applicants will be aware, ESFVON - with support from the
National Lottery Charities Board - has developed a record management system
specifically designed for ESF projects.
The system has a twin purpose. In the first place it is designed to meet
the information requirements of the DfEE Application, Monitoring and Final
Claims processes. We have, wherever possible, attempted to turn this
complicated and often stressful necessity into a virtue by way of achieving
the other purpose: namely, the provision of a system which actually helps you
administer and manage the project more easily, and to a higher standard.
It has been specifically tailored to meet the requirements of recording and
monitoring information to the maximum of eighteen months of the current
funding round. In addition to its key statistic handling and production
functions, the ERMS has automatic error checking; it also monitors and
indicates significant changes and progress to targets.
Training sessions in the use of the system are available free of charge, as
is the system to voluntary and community groups.
For further information, contact Alan Payne - ESF Projects Officer, ESFVON on
0191 274 9886
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OBJECTIVE 2
As many organisations will be aware, ESFVON operated a project during 1997-1998
to promote community economic development with specific focus on developing
the contribution of voluntary and community groups.
Co-inciding with the final stages of the CED project, ESFVON was successful
in obtaining funding for a two year project with the aim of developing and
strengthening the ability of the voluntary and community sector in
contributing effectively to the objectives of the North East of England
Objective 2 Programme, across all Priorities.
The project, an integral part of ESFVON's operations provides advice and
suport to any group seeking to make an application for funding, including both
ESF and ERDF, or wishing to develop projects to contribute to the Programme.
Covering the whole of the Programme area, the project works in partnership
with Teesside CVS (who cover the Tees Valley area).
For further information on how we can help you, contact our Objective 2
officers
Sue Mason and Victor Ottaway on 0191 2749886
The European Secretariat's administrative support team have recently
experienced difficulties identifying some new 1999 Objective 2 ERDF and,
especially, ESF applications. The confusion arises when projects submitted
as summaries in packages come in as full applications but with different
titles. This makes it difficult for the team to locate the project in the
relevant package and retrieve the correct reference number. Furthermore
applications are sometimes submitted which do not appear to belong to any
package. To assist in this matter, organisations submitting new applications
under Objective 2 programme have been asked to:
- flag up in a covering letter if a project title has changed from the summary stage to the new application
- identify which package the application belongs to
- identify any other changes to the project, e.g. if it has been split into more than one project at application stage.
This should hopefully speed up the processing of new applications, which
benefits sponsors as well as the Secretariat.
The finance and monitoring team are in the process of arranging monitoring
visits on all current programmes. A number of visits have been arranged
over the next three months, mostly mid week appointments have been made with
sponsors to ensure the Secretariat has sufficient cover while officers are out
on the monitoring visits. Sponsors have been requested to try to keep to
the date/time arranged wherever possible.
The Secretariat have noticed recently that there has been some uncertainty
about what types of expenditure grant can be claimed against. To clarify
the situation, please could you note that ERDF grant can only be paid
against actual defrayed expenditure. This means that you cannot claim grant
in advance of making payments for your project, nor is it sufficient for
expenditure to have been "incurred". In simple terms, the money must have
left your bank account before you can claim ERDF grant against it.
Please remember to send your first and second advance payment forms to the
ESF Payments Team at the European Secretariat and not the ESF Unit.
If you have any queries concerning ESF payments, please contact Craig Barnes
on the Secretariat's ESF Payments Team - tel: 0191 202 3862
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Last Updated: 5 April 1999