Today, ERSA and NCVO wrote a joint letter to the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, emphasising the importance of a replacement for the European Social Fund post-Brexit. The letter calls for clarity on the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is co-signed by 100 Chief Executives of charities and businesses across the UK.
While focus continues to be on how we leave the European Union it is vital we have certainty on how projects funded through the European Social Fund will be funded after we leave.
There are few details known on how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will operate or who it will benefit. The consultation has been delayed.
Together with the NCVO, ERSA is asking the new PM to confirm:
- The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be designed to work better for the UK and funded to achieve at least the same level of impact for disadvantaged groups and areas as that achieved under European Social Funding.
- Funding for employment and skills support allocated from the Shared Prosperity pot will not fall below a fixed level.
- There will be no funding gap between the closure of EU ESF funding and the distribution of Shared Prosperity Funding to ensure there is no loss of expertise, infrastructure or partnerships for frontline organisations, and consequently, support for disadvantaged jobseekers and learners.
Read the letter in full and view the list of signatories..
You can still join the ERSA and NCVO working group to continue the campaign for a replacement for ESF. For more information, contact David Mortimer, Head of Policy and Communications at ERSA by emailing policy@ersa.org.uk.
