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The Scottish Government is holding a consultation on a proposed review of how charities are regulated. What do you think about the public benefit test? What's your view on the audit threshold? Your views are important. Click here to take part: https://lnkd.in/gxWMsyV9 The consultation closes at midnight on 22 July. #CharityRegulation #Regulation #CharityLeadership #CharityGovernance #CharityCEO

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If you're a small business based in Cherwell, do have a look at this new capital grant for rural small businesses (including Kidlington)! 😀 Expressions of Interest open Monday, following the launch webinar. 🙌 Grants of £5,000-£20,000 are available and can be used towards costs such as: - Capital equipment - Renovation or refurbishments (that do not require planning permission or already have planning permission in place) - Net zero and sustainability infrastructure, including solar panels, EV chargers, air-source heat pumps and more - Creation and expansion of rural leisure and tourism businesses - Diversification of farm buildings outside of agriculture - Purchase of equipment for food processing and promotion - Diversification 🙌 The scheme looks to support capital investments in the following priority sectors: - Retail - serving local community - Farm diversification (non-agricultural) - Food and drink production - Hospitality and Leisure - Manufacturing The grant is available for rural businesses, which is most of Cherwell outside Banbury and Bicester. You can check whether your business qualifies as rural on Defra's Magic Map (see link on the page below). 👉 For full details including eligibility, please visit the Cherwell REPF webpage. https://lnkd.in/ebhfKmVz 👉 If of interest, do register and join us for the launch webinar on Monday to find out more! https://lnkd.in/ekDnWaXs OxLEP Business

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By the end of 2024 we will have run around 24 national virtual events plus specific local workshops both virtually and in person in addition. In 2024, the total number of events we will have hosted is likely to be around 35. It takes a lot of time and resources to put this many events/workshops on and we're grateful to all our guest speakers who support us and of course to everyone who takes the time out of their busy calendars to attend. Almost all our virtual events are recorded creating enduring materials of support for businesses to access and use whenever they need to and all our events/workshops are created based on the evidence based intelligence we gather through working with the marketplace and procurement/commissioner colleagues. We hope that what we're doing is useful. If the attendee registrations, access to the resources, and feedback through our post event surveys are an indication, then we think we're doing ok. We always keen to know what more we can do, and what we can do better so please do tell us if there's a topic you would like us to cover or if we can improve how we run the events etc. You can email us anytime to [email protected]

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SDLP Economy Spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin MLA has officially launched the public consultation for her Regional Jobs, Skills and Investment Bill, describing it as “an opportunity to rebalance the economy across the North.” The consultation opened online today and will close on Sunday 16th February.

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Happy local democracy day, all! 🗳 The mandatory reminder to get out and vote today if you can (and to bring your photo ID). Local government and metro mayors are responsible for the services and investment that often have the biggest impact on our daily lives, so don't miss the chance to make your voice heard. As someone who has had a ringside seat for over 14 years of northern devolution, I'm especially excited about the results of the mayoral elections - the first time that every metro mayor in the country is up for election at once. As a Wakefield resident, of course I'll be taking a keen interest in the West Yorkshire mayoral election, but the other ones I'll be paying extra attention to are: ☑ York and North Yorkshire - today is the first time that residents of York and North Yorkshire will get to elect a metro mayor, responsible for £540m of investment in areas including transport, brownfield regeneration and net zero. York politics have always been a rollercoaster (I worked with Labour, Conservative, Conservative-Lib Dem and Lib Dem-Green administrations over a 10-year period) but the formerly solid Conservative North Yorkshire has also become much more interesting in recent years. I'm not a betting gal anyway, but I can't call this one... ☑ Tees Valley - I grew up in Middlesbrough and Teesside will always be the place I'll call home, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this mayoral race, which will be incumbent, Ben Houchen's, third run at re-election. He got a stonking majority the last time around, but concerns around the huge Teesworks regeneration scheme and Freeport, mass shellfish die-offs along the Teesside coast and the national political context mean third time might not be the charm for Lord Houchen of High Leven. ☑ Another first is the North East mayoral election. The North and South areas of the Tyne were unable to reach an agreement on a combined devolution deal for years, until the government put a deal on the table that all parties could unite around. The previous North of Tyne Combined Authority will become part of a wider North East Combined Authority stretching from Durham up to the tip of Northumberland. This is widely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent North of Tyne Mayor, Independent, Jamie Driscoll, and Labour's Kim McGuinness, who currently serves as Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner. I suspect McGuinness will edge it, but Driscoll has amassed significant support after he didn't make Labour's candidate shortlist for the new North East role. Of course, today's hot takes are tomorrow's digital chip paper, and whoever ends up victorious tomorrow must turn immediately to the job of delivering for communities, bringing forward investment and fighting for their places on the national stage. I'll end with a shout-out to the many public servants who are grafting behind the scenes to make today's elections happen. You are the unsung heroes of our democracy! Social

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Is your local council delivering on its brand promise for community engagement? Oftentimes I see a skills gap between a council’s policy commitments and its internal capability to deliver on these. Where this gap exists, the quality of engagement processes and activities varies across the organisation. This not only results in inconsistent engagement experiences for stakeholders, but it also impacts council-stakeholder relationships, compromises input into council decision-making processes and damages reputation. My two-day Local Government Communications and Engagement Strategy Masterclass, running since 2017, closes this policy-practice gap. The course methodology is in line with IAP2 principles and built on my deep expertise and experience working in, and for, local government in strategic communications and engagement for over 30 years. This training empowers council employees to deliver the right messages to the right stakeholders through the right mediums, and engage them at the right level, using the right techniques at the right time. This highly practical course receives wonderful feedback from participants. Bookings available for the second half of 2024. For more information, please get in touch. #LocalGovernment #CommunityEngagement #StrategicCommunications #StakeholderRelationships #Reputation

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Updates from The List Charles Hayward Foundation - One to Watch They have changed meeting schedule for 2025 (to three meetings a year from four) 2025 deadlines for the submission of applications for Stage 1: 31st January 2025 (for March Grant’s Committee meeting) 23rd May 2025 (for July Grant’s Committee meeting) 19th September 2025 (for November Grant’s Committee meeting) https://lnkd.in/eu6JmkaJ Scottish Charity, The Stevenston Charitable Trust , are no longer accepting any further applications for this year and will advise applicants when the Trust is ready to receive further applications again. The Mickleham Trust is in the process of being wound up and will not be accepting any further requests for donations (Thanks to Lisa Northey-Dennis for sending me this one) I am fitting this work in between paid work and parenting and, whilst I freaking love it, you can keep me caffeinated and buy me a coffee here ; https://lnkd.in/eEcEmqtc You can find The List here; https://lnkd.in/eksPhrhF The List - Changes to Trust and Foundations in the UK © 2024 by Joanna Jeffery is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://lnkd.in/eCApKUdz

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Most corporate and local trust/foundation donors fund projects for just a year at a time. Although there are a few notable exceptions, the majority of international donor trusts and foundations also restrict their giving to a year. It’s frustrating for fundraisers, CEOs and programme and project managers who want the security of sustained funding for projects via which services are delivered to those in need. https://lnkd.in/e57CzuVS

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There are no easy answers to the housing crisis - but there is alot of good thinking in this blog (which for full disclosure is written by my dad Ian Campbell)

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A big thank you to everyone who has already downloaded the Community Engagement Launch Plan! It’s been great hearing how useful it’s been for so many of you. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, now’s the perfect time. This FREE guide is designed to help businesses take practical steps toward connecting with the community they operate in. Whether you're just getting started or looking to improve your existing approach, it’s full of straightforward tips that show how your business can benefit from building these connections. If you haven’t already downloaded it, grab your copy here: https://lnkd.in/enVscAR3 When you’re ready, dive in and see how engaging with your community can support your business goals.

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If you're looking to start engaging with your local community, I’ve created a free 'Community Engagement Launch Plan' to help you get started. It’s packed with everything I think you'll need, including a handy checklist to assess where you’re at now and plan your next steps. Sign up today to download your copy!

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Pleased to have written for the Spring 2024 edition of the Scottish Anti Poverty Review on the subject of Fair Funding for the voluntary sector: https://lnkd.in/ejsDwJHB "Fairness is a positive, aspirational concept. A quick Google of the word fair throws up a definition of “impartial and just, without favouritism or discrimination”, alongside a myriad of suggested synonyms, including “equitable”, “trustworthy” and “honest”. Google also provides a second definition of “the quality of having light-coloured hair or a pale complexion” but that’s of significantly less relevance to this particular topic. When it comes to an aspect as pivotal as funding for a sector as crucial ours, SCVO doesn’t think it is a radical position to believe that funding should be equitable, trustworthy and honest, impartial and just, and without favouritism and discrimination. In fact, we believe it should be the default position that Scotland’s voluntary sector is entitled to funding that is fair both in name and definition: Fair Funding, some might even call it."

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Citizens Advice is the new consumer advocate for heat network consumers. It couldn't come at a more important time; there's currently little protection against rising costs and poor practice, with regulation to hold suppliers to account and support consumers not yet in place. There's limited evidence on the experiences of people who access this form of energy, something we're looking to change. Read more about what heat networks are and how we plan to advocate for consumers in this great blog from Charlotte Rennie.

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