European Team

What we do:
Regeneration Services has benefited from having a dedicated European Team since 1999. In this time, the team's work has revolved around two major areas - European Funding and European Policy and Information.

European Funding:

In terms of funding, the European Team's strategy is to facilitate the drawing down of European Union funds to maximum benefit for the people and economy of Hull by capitalising on the UK's membership of the European Union.

Objective 2:
Hull has been awarded "Objective 2" status by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) in order to redress local economic decline and to bring the area closer to the European Union economic average. As a whole, structural funds (including Objective 2) account for over a third of the European Union's budget. The UK's allocation for 2000-2006 is approximately £10 billion and from this, Hull's Total Objective 2 funding allocation is approximately £35million.

The current objective 2 programme covers five themes or priorities:

• Support for Business Development (Priorities 1,2 & 5)
• Support for CED (Community Economic Development) (Priority 3) delivered through 8 Pact bodies across the city helping local communities to develop their own ideas to enable people back into work by training people and thereby building confidence, skills and self-esteem.
• Support for Spatial Development (Priority 4) delivered through the Humber Trade Zone and Hull City Centre's IDP (Integrated Development Plan).

Since the new 2000-2006 programme commenced, the European Team has facilitated 83 new Objective 2 projects (across all the priorities), to access almost £3million so far by helping more than 449 people (mainly CED/Pact residents) into work, via training. Some of these successful projects have included "crosscutting" themes such as:

• partnership involvement (complementarity)
• sustainability (environmental business strategy)
• social inclusion (gender/equal opportunities, and diversity issues)
• creativity (innovation and IT)

Work on European funding also includes: assisting project sponsors in the preparation of funding bids to Government Office (Leeds) and liasing with L.D.E.P. bodies (PACTS). The team also monitors actual expenditure against programme budgets and prepares regular financial reports as well as general financial management of the programme. Other work includes developing and monitoring of partnerships at local and transnational level and involvement in programmes like "Interreg" (www.interregiiib.org.uk).

Objective 3:
The other major structural fund which Hull can access is the open and competitive ESF (European Social Fund) Objective 3, which is available across the UK. ESF is intended to advance the European Employment Strategy by improving employability, developing entrepreneurship, encouraging adaptability and strengthening equal opportunities in the labour market. In effect ESF is the human resource strategy of the European Union.

There have been four rounds of the 2000-2006 Objective 3 ESF programme and currently there are some 61 Hull based (or Hull related) projects operating in the City of Hull. ESF funding for these projects total some £13.5 million over the next two years. Of the 61 ESF funded projects operating in the City, Hull City Council is delivering six projects. Details of these projects are to be found in the "Directory of Objective 3 European Social Fund Projects in Hull" which the European Team has compiled.

For more detailed information on structural funds log onto: www.goyh.gov.uk

European Policy:

Work on policy includes research on other European funded programmes, policy development and lobbying at a local and European level and the gathering of baseline information relating to social, educational and labour market statistics.

• The future of structural funding after 2006 - which is already being debated!
• Participation in EU regional groupings (such as the North Sea Commission)
• The impact of the European Convention on the Future of Europe and European Governance - how citizens relate to the EU
• The likelihood of elected regional government in England and how such regions will relate to the institutions of the EU
• The extension and development of transnational links
• The development of a City of Hull European Policy Forum
• Europe Week 2003 (12-16 May 2003) - Hull's first "Europe Week".

European Information:

The other important remit within the team is to assist in raising awareness of European issues by providing a regular flow of information to partners, colleagues and the public and also to raise Hull's profile at a regional, national and European level. The team liases with several European bodies including the European Commission, European Parliament, UK Government departments and other relevant organisations enabling the team to provide an informed service. The team also works closely with other local authorities and council departments, a wide range of public and private sector organisations and community and voluntary sector organisations to identify and develop projects. The team hopes to engage in the development of trans-national projects by liasing with specific European partners.

Who we are and Areas of Specialty:
Within the team itself, each member has a role and area of responsibility:

Patsy Kays
European Policy & External Funding Manager
Manages the entire team, deals with EU policy issues (including advocacy and lobbying), relates external funding to the policy process.
Tel. +44 (0) 1482 612155
email: [email protected]

Eva La Pensée
European Structural Funds Manager
Manages the Objective 2 and ESF Objective 3 Programmes, is a P.E.T. (Programme Effectiveness Team) representative at Government Office, deals with specific enquires relating to the 2000-2006 Structural Funds Programme.
Tel: +44 (0) 1482 612159
email: [email protected]

Daphne Robins
Objective 2 Officer (Project Development)
Deals with general and technical enquiries regarding the 2000-2006 Objective 2 and ESF Objective 3 Programmes, advises on matters relating to Objective 2 funding applications and preparation of project bids for submission to Government Office.
Tel: +44 (0) 1482 612124
email: [email protected]

Tracy Pallett
European Information Officer
Manages and distributes information via several formats (both printed and electronic), including newsletters and briefings, promotional events and activities also deals with general enquiries.
Tel: +44 (0) 1482 612798
email: [email protected]

Tiolina Puteh
European Information Assistant
Provides administrative support to the entire team as well as dealing with general enquires, setting up of workshops, assisting in the distribution of information.
Tel: +44 (0) 1482 612755
email: [email protected]

Partnership Groups:

Working with partnership groups is an essential part of the process involved in the implementation of European Funding. The team works in conjunction with several groups including:

HSIDF (Hull Social Inclusion Development Forum), EAG (Enterprise Action Group), Cityeconomy (through sub-boards of the LSP - Local Strategic Partnership), European Officers Network, Business Link, Humber Forum, City Learning, Universities of Hull and Lincoln, Hull College, EIC (European Information Centre), ERC (European Reseorce Centre) Pact groups, EAZ (Education Action Zone), Local Agenda 21, LLL (Life Long Learning), RDA (Regional Development Agency - Yorkshire Forward), LSC (Learning Skills Council), LLI (Local Labour Initiative), HABAC (Hull Area Business Advice Centre), NDC (New Deal for Communities).

Regular Activities:

The European team uses many and varied ways of communicating and consulting with local people, representative groups and organisations. Examples of these channels are:

• Reports to Cityeconomy on European Issues.
• Hull Wider European Partnership workshops held three times a year (next round in September 2002).
• Frequent Project Surgeries for project developers.
• Weekly meetings with Government Office officials through the PET process.
• Regular newsletters and frequent EU Briefings, website updates with news, information & links to other major EU related websites.
• Information on and contact with Yorkshire & Humber M.E.P.'s.
• Resource library of information.

Hull European Info is an e-mail group for discussion and distribution of information from the Hull European Team.