RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 1 - 15/05/ 2024 Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Rural Business Grant Application Guidance RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 2 - 15/05/ 2024 Part 1: Background 1.1 Introduction Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC) has been allocated £650k of funding by the Rural England Prosperity (REPF) and UK Shared Prosperity Fund ( UKSPF ) to invest in rural communities up to the 31st March 2025. The Rural England Prosperity Fund is integrated into the UKSPF which supports productivity and prosperity in places that need it most. For eligible local authorities, REPF is a rural top - up to UKSPF allocations. It supports activities that specifically address the particular challenges rural areas face. It is complementary to funding used to support rural areas under the UKSPF. UKSPF is a central pillar of the UK government’s ambitious Levelling Up agenda and a significant component of its support for places across the UK. Nationally, it provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of th e UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition. It will help places right across the country deliver enhanced outcomes and recognises that even the most affluent parts of the UK contain pockets of deprivation and need support. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk - shared - prosperity - fund - prospectus 1.2 The A im of the P roject The Rural Business Grant aims to support the government’s Levelling Up White Paper and Future Farming Programme. It will fund capital projects for small rural businesses that will help them grow through improv ing productivity , developing new products , accessing new markets and/or new customers/visitors. The project will provide up to 50% grant funding for investments The maximum amount of grant that can be awarded per business is £12,499. The balance of the investment must be provided by you, the applicant Whilst the project is initially looking to safeguard businesses and jobs, priority will be given to those applicants that can best demonstrate how the investments will have a positive impact on the local economy through the creation of potential new employment opportunities in the borough. 1.3 How W ill the P roject W ork? A Key Account Manager/Business Advisor from Enterprising Barnsley will work with you to review your business needs and support you in applying for the grant. The project will run as a competition with an Open Call inviting businesses to apply for grants of between £2,500 to £12,499 to support capital investment projects that will meet the programme requirements as detailed in section 1.4. RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 3 - 15/05/ 2024 Businesses must have been trading for more than 12 months to apply for grants over £5,000. For businesses trading less than 12 months the applicant will be required to meet with the Council’s Launchpad team who support pre - start and early stage businesses in the borough https://enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk/start The call for grant applications open ed in September 2023 and will remain open until the funding has been allocated Details of Panel dates will be published on the Enterprising Barnsley website https://enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk/programmes/rural - grant Grants are paid on completion of the project i.e. the goods have been received and paid for and the appropriate evidence has been submitted. It is imperative that you do not start the project, incur costs or place an order before the grant agreement has been signed. This will make the project ineligible and you will not be able to recoup your costs 1.4 Eligibility & Examples of Projects To apply for the grant your business, or your project or beneficiaries must be in the defined area The Rural team will complete a postcode compliance check for each application. To check if your business is in a rural location in Barnsley click on th is link https://magic.defra.gov.uk/magicmap.aspx and follow the instructions below: • On the left side of the page, expand ‘Administrative Geographies’ by clicking on the ‘+’ box, then in the drop down expand and tick the box ‘other administrative boundaries’ • On the drop down select ‘Rural England Prosperity Fund’ , tick the box • Zoom into the ‘Barnsley’ area on the map or search for Barnsley by typing ‘Barnsley’ in the search facility , press enter, this will highlight the Barnsley district • Next t ype your business postcode in the search facility, press enter, this will highlight your postcode area. Click on the ‘identify’ icon at the top of the webpage and then click on the area to determine whether it is considered rural. • A box will appear showing the ‘Site Check’ results letting you know if you are in ‘A Rural Area for the purposes of REPF (Rural Fund) or ‘Not a Rural Area for the purposes of REPF’ Disclaimer: Please note a postcode check on areas may cross the map boundaries giving both an ‘eligible’ and ‘ineligible’ result. If you are in doubt on whether your postcode is eligible, please contact us via the website contact form or email ruralbusinessgrants@barnsley.gov.uk providing details of your company name and full address RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 4 - 15/05/ 2024 T he applicant must be a legal entity. • Private Businesses (SMEs) • Farmers • Growers • Charities • Voluntary / Community organisations • Someone who wants to start a business • Private forest holders Examples of Projects The main driver for the project is the delivery o f the following economic outcomes : Jobs created Jobs safeguarded Number of new businesses created Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes Number of businesses with improved productivity Number of businesses experiencing growth To achieve the outcomes the following ‘types’ of projects will be prioritised : Investment that creates jobs and/or safeguards jobs I mproves a business ’ productivity Helps develop new products or processes and/or adopts new to the firm technology or processes Enables a business to access new markets Attracts new customers and/or visitors to the defined area (see 1.4 ) The application process is competitive therefore prioritisation will be given to those applicants who can address as many of the objectives/outcomes/outputs as possible, providing value for money and the required economic step change required for the borough. Below are several examples of the types of projects that could be supported , please note that this isn’t an exhaustive list and we would welcome a discussion if you feel you have a project that could create new employment opportunities whilst not displacing trade from other local South Yorkshire competitors. Intervention Example projects Objectives Indicative outputs Indicative outcomes Funding (capital grants) for small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas. Creation and expansion of rural leisure and tourism businesses. For example: • Creating event venues or farm tourism facilities such as accommodation, wedding venues and leisure facilities • Provision of facilities for pet and equines such as kennels, livery and pet health venues Purchase of equipment for food processing for non - farmer - owned businesses. For example: • Purchasing new process and packaging machinery such as brewing equipment and onsite vending machines • Equipping development kitchens, or modernising existing kitchen equipment for increased energy efficiency or increased productivity through automation Purchase of ‘Net Zero’ infrastructure • All businesses who are wanting to invest in energy efficient and low carbon technologies and techniques will initially be mandated to work alongside the Council and the Barnsley Business Innovation Centre via the ‘Barnsley Net Zero’ project https://www.business - village.co.uk/net - zero - accelerator/ Creating jobs and boosting community cohesion. Increasing private sector investment in growth - enhancing activities, through targeted support for small and medium - sized businesses to • Undertake innovation • Adopt productivity enhancing, energy efficient and low carbon technologies and techniques • Number of businesses supported • Number of farm businesses supported • Number of farm diversification projects supported • Number of micro businesses supported • Jobs created • Jobs safeguarded • Number of new businesses created • Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes • Number of businesses with improved productivity • Number of businesses experiencing growth RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 6 - 15/05/ 2024 Diversification of farm businesses outside of agriculture to encourage start up, expansion or scale up For example • This could involve converting farm buildings into other commercial or business uses. Capital investments to improve business productivity and/or capacity. For example • Funding new machinery / manufacturing equipment to meet existing or future demand • The implementation of a quality management programme, this could include investing in new production equipment to improve product quality, output and reduce waste. Funding (capital grants) for growing the local economy and supporting innovation. This includes: • Community business • Cooperatives and social enterprises • Research and development sites • SME’s This intervention corresponds to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) intervention E26 Creation of multi - functional rural business hubs providing shared workspace and networking opportunities for rural businesses For example: • Flexible access to commercial kitchens • Co - working spaces • Business infrastructure such as broadband and electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Enterprise Innovation for New Markets – support entrepreneurship in new and existing businesses seeking to enter new markets Fo r example • Agricultural Products – small scale processing, product development. Creating jobs and boosting community cohesion. From capital grant support for starting businesses to visible improvements to local retail, hospitality and leisure sector facilities. Enhancing rural visitor economy and rural leisure opportunities. • Number of businesses supported • Number of farm businesses supported • Number of farm diversification projects supported • Number of micro businesses supported • Jobs created • Jobs safeguarded • Number of new businesses created • Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes • Number of businesses with improved productivity • Number of businesses increasing their export capability. RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 7 - 15/05/ 2024 • Investments in equipment and infrastructure. • Forestry – small scale processing, adding value to and marketing of wood products, developing wood fuel supply chains Funding (capital grants) for the development and promotion (both trade and consumer) of the visitor economy, such as: • Local attractions • Trails • Tourism products more generally This intervention corresponds to the UKSPF Intervention E17 Development of local visitor trails and infrastructure to support this, such as: • Information boards • Visitor centres • Grants to develop local tourist attractions. • Development of local visitor experiences based on the local offer. Creating jobs and boosting community cohesion. Enhancing rural visitor economy and rural leisure opportunities. • Number of businesses supported • Number of visitor experiences supported • Number of farm businesses supported • Number of micro businesses supported • Jobs created • Jobs safeguarded • Number of new businesses created • Number of businesses increasing their turnover You should also consider how investments contribute to net zero and nature recovery objectives. To support green growth, thin k about how your project can work with the natural environment to achieve objectives. At a minimum, you need to consider the project’s impact on our natural assets and nature. We will prioritise projects that deliver the greatest economic, environmental and social benefits. Rural Fund projects can be part of a wider UKSPF intervention . In Barnsley these are cu rrently the Start Up grant via Launchpad and the Business Productivity and Low Carbon programmes , which can all be accessed via the Enterprising Barnsley team They can provide extra funding where the objectives are to add value All grant recipients will be asked to meet with the Council’s Employability and Skills team to help implement the boroughs ‘More and Better jobs’ strategy. https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/more - and - better - jobs/opportunities - you - can - offer/ Ineligible Expenditure Below is a list of excluded costs, this isn’t an exhaustive list and the Programme Management Team have the discretion to omit costs if they deem them ineligible and/or not within the scope of the project. • Revenue funding • Salaries • Pension contributions • Rent • Utility chargers • Insurance • Tax / inc VAT • Recruitment fees • In kind contributions inc labour, vehicles, office space • Equipment hire • Licence fees, subscriptions and service charges • Replacing like - for - like IT hardware / software • Mobile phones • Consumables • Marketing costs inc web hosting • Contingency costs • The costs of getting permissions or consents, such as planning • Relocation costs • Costs for statutory compliance • Repairs and maintenance of existing buildings, equipment and machinery • ‘Like for like’ replacement of existing items • The costs of moveable fittings • Renewable heat and energy systems that are claimable via RHI • Purchase of land • Non - specialised vehicles • Standard buildings, machinery and equipment for growing and harvesting agricultural and horticultural products. • Standard agricultural or horticultural inputs like animals and crops • The cost of agricultural production rights and payment entitlements Other activity which will not be allowed includes • Reimbursement of goods/services already purchased prior to the date of a grant offer letter • Repayment of existing loans or debts • To avoid issues concerning local displacement you will need to confirm if your business generates most of its turnover from trading outside of South Yorkshire. If not , your application will need to demonstrate how the grant supported project will lead to this RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 9 - 15/05/ 2024 1. 5 How D o I A pply ? To apply, please contact Enterprising Barnsley via the following channels : Online Chat / Enquiry form – http://www.enterprisingbarnsley.gov.uk/ enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk/programmes/rural - grant Email - ruralbusinessgrants@barnsley.gov.uk Telephone: 07827 552792 (Available Tuesday - Friday 8am - 2pm) RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 10 - 15/05/ 2024 Part 2 : Completing the A pplication F orm A Key Account Manager or Business Advisor from BMBC will provide a copy of the R BG - C - 10 Application form and will support you to complete your application. Applications that pass stage 1 will be assessed competitively based on the information provided in the application form. 2 .1 Stage 1 - Eligibility Criteria You must demonstrate that your business / project meets all the eligibility criteria. Any projects that do not meet all the eligibility criteria will not progress to stage 2 – Application. Please enter Yes or No in the boxes provided (Stage 1 - Page 1 of the Application form). Q1 There is a strong emphasis on economic growth and job creation in this programme therefore all projects must directly support the rural economy and be based within the defined area , the postcode can be checked for eligibility following the instructions in point 1.4. Applicants must be a business based in Barnsley and must pay business rates to Barnsley. The address must be the registered office or trading address of the business. If the applicant works from a residential property as their main business base, they are still allowed to apply but those using ‘virtual’ tenancy agreements will be precluded fr om applying. The business address must be the place where the project activity takes place Q2 The focus of the funding is to support Small and Medium sized Enterprises, not large organisations. For the definition of a Small and Medium sized Enterprise please use this link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo - small - to - medium - sized - enterprise - sme - action - plan/small - to - medium - sized - enterprise - sme - action - plan#:~:text=An%20SME%20is%20any%20organisation,is%20in%20the%20below%20table Q3 The project can provide up to 50% of grant towards the total project cost. T o ensure the project can proceed you have to confirm whether you have private finance available, either your own from a bank or other commercial finance. Your project must be paid upfron t and in full to your supplier before you can claim the grant amount from us. If you are using asset finance for your purchase(s), please make your KAM/Business Advisor aware before you start your application. Q4 If you are using asset finance for your purchase(s), please make your KAM/Business Advisor aware before you start your application. Q 5 The purpose of the grant i s to provide added value and ensure there is true need for the grant therefore within the application form you will need to evidence viability of the project and the need for grant support. Q 6 Financial support provided to your company through the project is considered Subsidy Allowance as part of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 ( https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/23/enacted ). It is your responsibility to declare compliance with the Subsidy Control Act. Under the scheme rules your company at group level may not receive more than £315,000 subsidy allowance during the elapsed part of the current financial year and the two financial years immediately preceding the current financial year. RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 11 - 15/05/ 2024 Q 7 To avoid issues concerning local displacement you will need to confirm if your business generates most of its turnover from trading outside of South Yorkshire. If not your application will need to demonstrate how the grant supported project will lead to this. For visitor attraction projects, the applicant must evidence that there are no other similar types of businesses/organisations operating within the South Yorkshire area Q 8 You will need to confirm that the project you are seeking to fund has not yet commenced. Q9 You will need to confirm that your business is not in financial difficulty. If the answer is yes, you will need to speak further with your KAM/Business Adviser as we are unable to award a grant to businesses in financial difficulty. Q 10 For property related ‘fit out’ costs on leased premises, you will need to confirm you have the approval of the landlord and your lease doesn’t expire before the completion of your project Q 11 Planning consent - If the grant project requires planning to be approved before you can go ahead with the purchase, you must ensure that it fits with the timescales for this grant, as all projects are to complete by December 2024. Q1 2 Y our business needs to have been trading for over 12 months If your business has been trading for less than 12 months, you will be referred to the business start - up team, Launchpad, for an initial discussion regarding your plans. Q 1 3 As part of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council's Inclusive Economy Approach they have introduced an 'Employee Promise' to help local businesses play a key role in growing the local economy. The Employer Promise encourages all types and size of organisa tions to offer what they can to actively help young people and adults, from improving the health and wellbeing of your workforce to employing local graduates. As part of receiving the grant you will be asked to speak to the Employment and Skills team t o discuss how you can participate. 2 2 Stage 2 - Completing the A pplication F orm Please use the information in this section to answer each question in the application form as fully as possible. S coring Criteria Each section will be scored on how the response meets the scoring criteria for that question. The questions are each worth up to 4 marks each, with a maximum of 16 marks available across the application. An appraisal panel will score each application and reserves the right to disqualify any submission which scores below 65% of the total available marks. Score out of 4 4 EXCELLENT The criteria has been comprehensively met with demonstrated innovation and identified factors that will offer clear added value and economic impact. 3 GOOD The criteria has been met and the evidence is good with only minor reservations. 2 AVERAGE The evidence is acceptable but with reservations RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 12 - 15/05/ 2024 1 POOR The evidence is deficient in key areas where the lack of detail or relevant evidence requires the reviewer to make assumptions Applicant Details Please provide details of your business, including details of the primary contact for the project. This should be the person the Project Administrators will contact with any questions regarding the application. The application must be signed off by a director of the business, and the Grant Offer Letter must also be sent out to and signed by one of the directors. Parent Company. This project is only available to SME’s. If your business is owned 25% or more by another business, you need to state this in the application form so we can check SME status All sections of the application should be fully completed. Company Financials & Forecasts Please provide a summary of your company financials and forecasts covering a 3 - year period, this will include the previous financial year, current financial year and next financial year forecast. Subsidy Allowance The UKSPF Rural Business Grant project is part funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Council considers that financial and non - financial support given to your company as part of this project will be a subsidy for the purposes of section 2 of the Subs idy Control Act 2022 (“the Act”). Under the Minimal Financial Assistance (“MFA”) rules contained in section 36 of the Act, the Council and other public authorities are allowed to award low value subsidies without needing to comply with the majority of the subsidy control requirements. MFA has a financial threshold so no organisation* can receive more than £315,000 over the applicable period. The applicable period is: • The elapsed part of the current financial year (i.e., from 1 April 2023), and • the two financial years immediately preceding the current financial year The £315,000 limit over this time period includes all MFA awards under the Act, but also: i. any previous subsidy your organisation has received which was provided under the 325,000 Special Drawing Rights allowance set out in Article 364 of Chapter 3 of the EU - UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”) ii. any previous de minimis State aid your organisation received under any of the EU Regulations listed in section 42(8)(c) of the Act; iii. any SPEI financial assistance awards under section 38 of the Act within the applicable period above. You must cumulate all of the above support together (at company level) when assessing your organisation’s eligibility to receive MFA support. Project Details Please provide a brief summary about your business and an overview of the project. This should include an RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 13 - 15/05/ 2024 explanation of the challenge your business is facing and provide an explanation of what the grant will be funding. If the address where the project will be undertaken is different to your registered/trading address, please confirm the project location. This grant will only fund projects that are located in Barnsley Please provide anticipated start and finish dates for the investment being supported by the grant. It would normally be expected that this would be less than three months from receipt of your Grant offer Letter and that you will enter into a contract with your supplier within 2 months of receipt of the grant offer letter. The latest completion date we can accept is December 2024. Projects can only be capital Please state the total project cost and the amount of funding being requested. The grant investment must be clearly linked to the programme intervention, objectives and outputs Supplier Details In this section, please give details of your preferred supplier/s for your project and their costs. You must attach a copy of each of the quotes to your application. The basis of procurement with regard to products or services supported by grant award from this programme is one of ‘business choice’. This means that you as the business decides who your preferred supplier is. If your total project value is below £24,999, you will only be required to provide a copy of 1 quotation per goods/services to be purchased, for your grant request to be considered. However, as a matter of good business practice we would suggest that you m ay want to seek alternative quotations to ensure you are going to get the best value. If your total project value is £25,000 or over, you must obtain 2 additional quotations (3 in total) per goods/services to be purchased, in line with the Public Procurement Regulations. You must also complete Q 5 of this application form. It is both the business and Programme Management team’s responsibility to ensure that best value is being obtained from public funds and the team do reserve the right to seek further information from you to confirm your decision. The quotations of the preferred suppliers must be adequately detailed and fully align with the information on your Grant Application form. It is not permissible for any arrangement to be made between yourselves and the provider organisation which may be seen as any form of ‘payment offset’ for example credit notes or related financial transactions which in any way reduces the Gross Cost of th e products or services, or in any way reduces the net contribution you are making to these costs. The applicant is required to highlight whether the supplier is located in South Yorkshire and is encouraged where possible to seek suppliers from the region. This is to try and retain investment in the region, boosting economic growth. You must provide details of any conflict of interest with the suppliers you have chosen. Please note that relationships between the applicant and supplier are checked and grants will not be paid to applicants who are linked enterprises of the supplier(s). RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 14 - 15/05/ 2024 For successful grant applicants, there is a requirement for them to demonstrate full payment for the project before a claim can be submitted A ny form of lease or hire purchase agreement will not be acceptable. Asset Finance If you wish to use asset finance for your purchase(s), please make your KAM/Business Advisor aware before you start your application. Asset Finance may be accepted provided the following is met: • We will need to see a copy of your asset finance agreement once it is in place. This must confirm that the asset ownership will transfer to the business at the end of the term (i.e. it contains an obligation to purchase at the end of the term, there is no ‘lease finance’ option). • The grant value must be defrayed by the project completion deadline. This can be via a combination of deposit and monthly repayments, and bank statement evidence is required for the deposit and each repayment to cover the value of the grant when a claim is submitted. The project end - date stated on the application form should align with this repayment milestone. Please make sure these arrangements are detailed upfront in the grant application as appropriate, together with an agreement in principle where possible to demonstrate the value of the grant can be defrayed within the project term. RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 15 - 15/05/ 2024 Q uestions Projects up to £24,999 - answer questions 1 - 4 Projects £25,000 and over - answer questions 1 - 5 Q1 The Challenge In this section you need to: • 1a - Detail the challenge the project is trying to overcome. • 1b - Outline the need for the grant; how the grant will add value to the business and why grant funding is needed, with reference to the viability of the project with or without grant funding. • 1c - Explain what you will purchase with the grant • 1d - Explain how the investment is aligned to the companies overarching growth strategy Examples of the types of challenges you have may include: • A requirement to introd uce new products / processes / services to access new markets. • Constraints with existing premises that require either new or expansion of existing operational space. • A requirement to i nvest in new machinery to increase capacity and / or bring new capability Within the application you will need to explain why grant funding is needed, with reference to the viability of the p roject with or without grant funding. Support will only be provided to projects that demonstrate: • the project will not proceed without grant support; or, • grant support will allow a project to proceed within a shorted timescale; or • the project will not proceed in South Yorkshire without grant support; or, • grant support will enable a project to proceed on a larger scale, at a higher level of quality and/or with greater impact. The grant is only payable for costs incurred after the application is formally approved. The grant is only payable to the applicant business and upon production of evidence that costs have been incurred by the same business (not another business in a group structure for example). Any costs which have not been incurred by the applicant busines s will be ineligible. Any expenditure which is deemed ineligible will not be paid, and any offer of grant will be withdrawn. Q2 Measuring Productivity This section is about measuring productivity in your business. 2a - You will need to provide details of current approaches you take to measuring productivity in as simplistic a way as possible. The measurements must relate to the particular process(es) which are relevant to this application and the improvement your b usiness is trying to create. Examples of the thematic types of productivity measures that could take place may include the following: RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 16 - 15/05/ 2024 Labour productivity is the ratio output per person. Labour productivity measures the efficiency of labour in the transformation of something into a product of higher value. Capital productivity is the ratio of output (goods or services) to the input of physical capital. Improving physical capital typically yields an increase in output. Material productivity is the ratio of output to the input of materials (also known as natural resources). If possible, please provide details of reporting frequency, methodology and rationale. 2b - You will need to identify relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that will be aligned to the project, the metrics used with an appropriate rationale. The project must be plausible and propose realistic results. It must clearly show how the activi ty will improve the productivity of the business and how this will be measured. Examples could include: Replace an inefficient process of production technique. Improve quality (reduce waste) and limit non - conformant issues and promote more accuracy with regards to usage and stock control. 2 c - This section is about measuring productivity in your business. One of the purposes of the project is to improve the productivity of your business, therefore to be able to measure if the grant has helped contribute to productivity gains you first need to calculate a baseline. The information requested in the table should be available from your accounts but please contact your relevant Local Authority/Business Advisor/Key Account Manager if you are unsure. This information will be requested again up to 12 months after completio n of your project to see if the grant has had a positive impact on your GVA. Period Ended - insert the period the information is relating. Operating Profit - profit earned from normal core business operations. This value does not include any profit earned from investments (such as earnings from firms in which the company has partial interest) and the effects of interest and taxes. It also ref ers to operating profit as EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Tax). Employee Costs - wages and salaries from annual accounts. This should not include associated costs, such as social security or pension costs. Depreciation - decline in price of a tangible asset over time and recorded in annual account as depreciation. GVA = Operating Profit + Employee Costs + Depreciation Q3 Outcomes & Impacts 3a - You will need to detail the growth outputs/impacts resulting from the proposed investment(s), including timescales. Examples of some types of outputs / impacts are below, please note that this isn’t an exhaustive list and is a guide. Improvement of operational efficiencies RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 17 - 15/05/ 2024 Reduction in operating costs Increased production capacity and capabilities Higher quality products/services Strengthening competitive advantage Business growth and increased market share Improved customer service Increased employee morale and motivation Enhanced safety and security measures Reduced environmental impact. Improved cash flow management. 3b - It is important that a clear and obvious link is provided between the grant investment and the outputs/impacts the project will deliver. If the link between the investment and deliverables are deemed tenuous or implausible this will adversely impact the success of the application. 3c - The Rural Business G rant is funded by the UK Government via the UKSPF. In order for the Programme Management Team to evidence the positive impacts of the programme to Government, a number of additional fields are required. Table 3c measures the impacts of the investment on business specific indicators. Examples of indicators that could be included are turnover, profit, employee costs, (product) output, unit cost etc. 3d - P lease provide details of how the project will impact on employment opportunities. For those jobs being created or safeguarded by the investment please provide job titles, salaries and when the roles are expected to be created/safeguarded. For clarification, the definition of a job created / safeguarded is as follows: Jobs Created - The number of new, permanent, paid, full - time equivalent (FTE) jobs created following support. This includes both part - time and full - time jobs, which should be recorded relative to full - time equivalent (FTE). ‘ New ’ means it should not have existed before i ntervention Jobs Safeguarded - A safeguarded job is a permanent and paid job that was at risk prior to support being provided, and which the support helped the business to retain. 3e 3f - If you are adopting new to the firm technology or process and/or implementing a new product or accessing a new market, please tick the appropriate box and provide an explanation how the investment will make this possible. Q4 How will your project address any of the following themes • Equal opportunities • Sustainable Development • Poverty and Social Inclusion • Digital Inclusion RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 18 - 15/05/ 2024 Equality and Diversity Projects supported by UKSPF must adhere to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. You should briefly explain the steps you have taken to understand the potential impact, both positive and negative, of the project on different equality groups listed und er the Equality Act including race, gender, age and disability. Projects must demonstrate commitment towards addressing equality issues and meet the highest standards, exceeding baseline legislative requirements wherever possible. Equality should be integrated into all aspects of project planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It must be embedded not only within the services the project provides, but also in the way the project is delivered. Positive Environmental Impacts All projects should seek to ensure that their activity does not have adverse effects on the environment and possible negative effects are minimised. Projects should also seek to enhance positive environmental aspects. You need to demonstrate that you have thought about how your project is likely to impact, positively and negatively, on the area in which it will be sited. Positive environmental impacts could include improvements in energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions, enhancements of natural habitats, eco - systems and B iodiversity or investments to help reduce the loss of biodiversity, reduction in waste generation, use of recycled materials or consideration of sustainable transport. Negative Environmental Impacts Negative environmental impacts could include visual impact, significant increases in traffic, pollution (including noise and dust) and impacts on wildlife habitats and biodiversity. These might be short - term impacts (for example, whilst the project is being constructed), or longer - term impacts from the ongoing presence and use of a facility. Where it is identified that a project may or is likely to have negative effects on the environment, these possible effects should be assessed, and plans put in place to mitigate, avoid or reduce the impact. In preparing the project application, it may be n ecessary to consult a competent environmental authority, depending on the nature of the project. Describe what actions will be taken to mitigate or minimise these impacts – e.g. tree planting to screen development, environmental or natural habitat enhancements, offsetting environmental areas, road improvements etc. Explain what assessments have been c ompleted. Explain the steps that have been taken to ensure project sustainability and minimise the project’s negative impact on the environment, including its carbon footprint. Climate Change Your project might seek to achieve recognised environment or sustainability standards or accreditations. Explain any standards, assessments or certifications you are working to achieve. RBG - C - 12 Rural Application Guidance v. 3 Page 19 - 15/05/ 2024 Provide details of any local organisations that have helped advise and inform your project design to enhance the environmental and sustainability elements of your project. Sustainable and environmental building assessments Where your project involves building works, the final design may incorporate environmental and sustainable features. This is encouraged wherever possible. You may choose to include a BREEAM environmental assessment and accreditation process within your pro ject design or another equivalent environmental accreditation. Explain what environmental and sustainability features have been considered, included and excluded when drawing up the final design, and why. Explain the assessments and accreditations that wil l be incorporated into your project. Where you will not include any assessments within your project, please explain why you feel they are not appropriate or applicable. Social Inclusion Social inclusion is about involving everyone within a community and making sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in society. People can feel excluded or isolated for a number of reasons e.g. older people, people on low incomes, people livin g in isola