Decision details

Agree to extend the Service Level Agreement with Derbyshire Voluntary Action for the Social Connectedness project from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025.

Voluntary Action (DVA) to plan and deliver the social connectedness project which aims to reduce social isolation for residents across the District. This is fully funded by Derbyshire County Council (DCC) Public Health via the Healthy North East Derbyshire (HNED) Partnership and will not have any financial implications on NEDDC. The Partnership is administered by the Programmes Management Team at NEDDC.

Public Health have confirmed a further £25,000 of ring-fenced funding for the project to ensure continuity and consistency of service for residents and community groups until 31st March 2025. There is also recognition that the project staff employed by DVA would negatively be affected by the contract coming to and at this time.

DVA has spent several years raising the profile of this work and have developed good relationships between public and voluntary sector agencies as well as community groups and volunteers. A new delivery partner would take time to forge these relationships and there is a risk of impact on delivery.

Key elements of the project, which run in parallel, are funded by UK Shared Prosperity, for which NEDDC is the Accountable Body. This funding is until March 2025 and maintaining the Public Health funded activity ensures maximum impact for residents and community groups across the District.

A retender at this time will have a negative impact on community groups, residents and staff employed to deliver the project. There is also a risk that the established steering group, set up to oversee the delivery of this activity, would stall and partnerships with other agencies may be lost.