How to successfully submit your documents for project confirmation
In w/c 7 June 2021, Town Deal Offers for 33 Towns were announced, with up to £725m of funding being awarded. These deals are in addition to the 56 Deals already announced, taking the total investment committed to Towns past the £2bn mark.
TFDP would like to congratulate the latest wave of Towns receiving their offers. This is a significant milestone to reach in the programme – it gives the green light to these Towns to begin developing their project Business Cases in more detail, and it is another step forward to building back better.
Upon receiving their Town Deal Offer, Towns have up to 3 weeks to discuss and agree to their Heads of Terms. This is followed by a further 2 months to confirm the list of projects to be taken forward and how they will address any conditions set out within the Heads of Terms.
As part of the 2-month process, Towns may need to undertake a project re-prioritisation exercise. Further guidance on project prioritisation can be found in our 17 March blog, as well as the TFDP-produced Project Re-Prioritisation Tool.
Following the completion of any project re-prioritisation, you will need to submit three mandatory documents for each project:
Annex A: Project Confirmation Table (link)
Annex A1: Financial Profile (link)
A draft version of Annex 2 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (link)
It’s imperative to ensure the mandatory documents are completed correctly and that all required documents and requested information is provided. Missing and/or incorrect documents and information will cause delays to MHCLG completing the review of the project confirmations.
Based on MHCLG feedback on the project confirmation documents received so far, we have set out the key issues/recommendations to consider when submitting your documents:
Ensure you submit the three mandatory documents for each project. All three documents will need to be submitted in order for MHCLG to complete the project confirmation review.
Ensure the Project Confirmation Table (for each project) is approved and signed off by both the Town Deal Board Chair and the accountable body’s Chief Executive or the S151 officer (you can also read our blog on engaging with your s151 officer). Documents that are submitted with only one signature will be returned by MHCLG.
Ensure the numerical values presented in all three documents, particularly Annex A-1 Financial Profile, are for Towns Fund monies (as opposed to the project as a whole), unless stated. These figures should be correct and consistent with the Heads of Terms offer. Please note the financial costs and funding profile are to be presented in nominal terms.
Where there are fast-track projects (or for any project if known), please indicate the estimated timing you intend to submit the Summary Document. MHCLG will not make this timing compulsory; it is just so MHCLG can effectively process your submission.
Once you are ready to submit your mandatory documents, please send them to the Towns Fund central inbox, [email protected], within two months of agreeing Heads of Terms.
At the end of MHCLG’s satisfactory review of project confirmation, you will receive a Grant Offer letter.
If you need to make changes to a project after you have submitted your mandatory documents, you should notify your CLGU Area Lead and submit a Project Adjustment Form.
If you require any further support in completing your mandatory documents, then please contact your local CLGU Area Lead or TFDP Town Coordinator.