Under the requirements of the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) 2014-20, grant recipients are required to conduct a summative assessment at the conclusion of each project as part of monitoring and evaluation, to include impact assessment and process assessment.

The Combined Authority intends to procure an evaluation for the Low Carbon Challenge Fund. This evaluation will help inform similar future funding, already secured from the Authority’s Green Recovery Fund.

The Low Carbon Challenge Fund (LCCF) aims to support a shift to the low carbon economy, in the context of a financial recovery from the pandemic. It delivers objectives set out in the West of England Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan. LCCF is funded through ERDF, the West of England Recovery Fund and the Green Recovery Fund. There are three grants streams in the fund:

i) Green Business Grants (£1.7m) – grants for SMEs of up to £15k for energy saving improvements to buildings and equipment;

ii) Local Energy Scheme (£1.3m) – grants of up to £500k to support the delivery of renewable energy projects that deliver community benefits;

iii) Innovative Housing Retrofit Scheme (£500k) – a grant of £500k for a pilot project to test retrofit in 25 hard-to-treat homes.

This assessment needs to cover the total delivery of LCCF and delivery by funding stream, with the summative assessment report for ERDF funds only.