The Rural Social Enterprise Programme (RSEP) for Community Transport Enterprises will fund eight organisations to employ development managers with the express aim of significantly increasing the percentage of their income derived from securing public service contracts.
The origin of the programme is in the research carried out by the Community Transport Association (CTA) and the Plunkett Foundation (PF) in 2006, entitled “Enterprising approaches to rural community transport”.
The programme will identify eight rural community transport operators each of whom will receive a support package comprising:
• £30,000 grant aid
• £55,000 loan funding
• £37,000 (approx) support-in-kind comprising business and development support and co-learning from other participants.
In addition to funding the development managers’ posts to work on growing organisations’ income from public service contracts, the eight organisations will also form an action learning network which will develop peer learning opportunities and materials for dissemination to other community transport operators.
If you can answer yes to the following questions:
1) Is your organisation committed to significantly growing its level of contract income?
2) Is your organisation willing to use loan finance to develop contract income?
3) Does your organisation serve a predominantly rural area?
4) Does your organisation have a potential market for accessing public service contracts?
… then you may eligible to apply for access to the programme. Contact Norman Rides (tel: 020 7278 2528, mob: 07747 020369, email: norman@ctauk.org) for a Unique Project ID number which will you will need in order to complete and return the application form.
You can access further information and download guidance note and application form below.
The Commission for Rural Communities Rural Accessibility Best Practice Case Studies (pdf 1.75MB)
The Community Transport Social Reporting Toolkit (pdf 237KB)
NCVO EU Guide to Procurement Law (pdf 962KB)
NCVO Third Sector Commissioning Guide Checklist (pdf 3.13MB)
DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE NOTES for the rural social enterprise programme for community transport enterprise.
DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM for the rural social enterprise programme for community transport enterprise.
