Guidance

Local Youth Transformation Grant- clarification questions and responses

Updated 23 April 2025

Applies to England

Clarification questions and responses

Question 1:

Are you looking for one organisation with national reach or multiple local organisations to support their local authority?

We are looking for a delivery partner to provide support to 10 to 12 local authorities to meet their individual needs and build back capability in the youth space - this could be done by one single organisation, with or without delivery partners, or through a joint application (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, unincorporated association, partnership or otherwise). If submitting a joint application a lead party must be identified that will submit one application on behalf of all parties involved.

Question 2:

Can CICs (Community Interest Companies) apply for the role of delivery partner?

CICs may be eligible for funding, providing the organisation was established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes. CICs are therefore able to apply if they can provide evidence that they meet this criteria.

Question 3:

Can private organisations apply for the role of delivery partner?

Private organisations may be eligible for funding, providing the applicant can demonstrate that the funding will not confer any economic advantage or profit to the organisation.

Question 4:

When and how can local authorities apply to participate in the fund?

We are currently working with ministers to agree the approach to local authority selection. As this is a pilot, we will be working with a limited number of local authorities that represent a range of geographical contexts and operating models for their youth provision.

We acknowledge that running competitions can create additional financial and resource burdens on local authorities and affect their ability to deliver existing programmes for central government. Given the pressure that developing bids can create and the limited number of local authorities we will look to include in the pilot, we are unlikely to run a full competition.

We will share more information, as appropriate, about the approach to local authority selection in due course. As part of the pilot and subject to future funding decisions, we will be looking at the feasibility of a wider rollout to a larger number of local authorities.

Question 5:

Which local authorities will be involved?

Information relating to which local authorities are participating will be shared in due course. We are looking for applications that demonstrate the applicant’s capacity and capability to deliver across England.

Question 6:

Will local authorities receive funding to implement their action plans? If so, will that funding come from a separate pot or be taken from the £750,000?

Local authorities will submit individual action plans for funding to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The delivery partner will support local authorities to develop these action plans based on local authorities needs and priorities. Additional funding is available for these action plans.

There is up to £750,000 available solely for the delivery support partner to meet the requirements set out in the competition guidance.

Question 7:

Is this part of the National Youth Strategy?

This pilot is not part of the National Youth Strategy, however it builds on DCMS’ commitments through the Strategy and its wider programmes and policies, as well as cross-Government programmes to increase opportunities for young people. It also supports devolution by building capability in LAs and bolstering local decision making and leadership.

Question 8:

When will the delivery partner know how much funding is available to LAs as this might impact the delivery approach?

As part of the fund, the delivery partner will work with each local authority (and, where applicable their local partners) to carry out an assessment of the existing provision and needs. Using this insight, local authorities will, with support from the delivery partner, develop a costed action plan to deliver within the pilot timeframe. The action plan will set out how the local authority intends to improve against identified areas of need.

DCMS will approve funding for local authorities based on the requirements and needs set out in their action plan. We recognise that action plans will look different in each local authority and therefore that the level of funding each receives may vary.

Further information on funding available will be shared in due course.

Question 9:

Will participating local authorities be from a range of geographic areas?

Yes, the approximately 12 local authorities selected will represent a range of geographical contexts, including urban/rural.

We will also ensure participating local authorities represent diverse models for delivering youth services, for example, local authority-delivered youth service, commission model or partnership model.

Question 10:

If a local authority is selected, but there are other funding projects (for example through TNLCF) already ongoing, will this affect either being chosen or current grant funding?

Local authority eligibility will not be affected by other funding projects. Funding provided to local authorities will be based upon action plans they submit to DCMS.

Question 11:

How will youth voice be built into the fund?

As part of the delivery partner requirements, applicants must outline how they will support local authorities (and where applicable their partners) to involve young people in the assessment of existing provision and development of action plans.

Question 12:

How will we ensure the outcomes are sustainable?

At the end of the pilot, the delivery partner will carry out a review of the implementation of action plans to understand what progress has been made and what the opportunities are for further improvement.

Using the findings from this, we expect the delivery partner will offer guidance and expertise to support local authorities to develop longer term action plans to ensure outcomes and outputs are sustained beyond the end of the pilot.

Question 13:

To be eligible to apply as a delivery partner, the grant award cannot exceed 50% of your annual income. How does this apply to a consortium?

The income we measure the grant award against depends on how the consortium is structured:

• If there is a lead organisation who has sub-contracted partners, then the criteria applies to just the lead organisation (i.e. the grant award cannot exceed 50% of their turnover).
• If the consortia is a new partnership/entity, the total must not exceed 50% of the combined income of all involved partners.

Question 14:

Will there be a standardised outcomes framework (for example, against the statutory duty) or will it be entirely individualised approaches to support local authority needs?

Approaches to support local authorities will be individual and based on the needs identified by the local authority and delivery partner. Through this fund, we are testing ways to best rebuild local authority capability to ensure a local youth offer which addresses the needs of young people and supports government priorities - a varied and individualised approach is therefore necessary to test what works.

Question 15:

We’re from a local organisation and would be willing to support our local authority if it participates - can we apply for funding?

Any eligible organisation can apply for the role of delivery partner, however it is important to have the capacity and capability to support local authorities across the country. Local organisations without national reach would need to apply as part of a joint application (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, unincorporated association, partnership or otherwise) to ensure they have the capacity and capability to carry out the role nationally.

Question 16:

Without knowing which local authorities will be participating and what their action plans are, how much detail are you expecting in the applications?

We are aware that some details relating to project plans will not be finalised until local authority action plans have been written and approved. We are asking applicants to provide as much detail as possible about recommended or suggested activities that indicate the applicant has the capacity, capability and expertise to successfully deliver.

Question 17:

Can applicants bid for a smaller pot of funding?

We are looking for and prioritising applications that ensure value for money - applicants can therefore bid for less funding if they can demonstrate they are still able to deliver successfully.

To note, the applicant submitting the lowest price will serve as a benchmark, with applicants receiving marks on a pro-rata basis from the lowest to the highest price.

Applications with abnormally low prices may be rejected by the department. Budgets that are suspiciously low in the opinion of the department will be considered further before a decision is taken as to whether to reject the application on the basis the budget is abnormally low. This will include clarification with the relevant applicant.

Question 18:

Do you have a recording of the clarification workshop?

Unfortunately we do not have a recording of the session, however it was predominantly a walk through of the guidance online. The clarification questions that were asked have been included in this document.