Egov monitor reports Funding secured for six changeup hubs
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears has confirmed funding of £16.5m for six ChangeUp national hubs of expertise over the next two years. These hubs will act as beacons of best practice and provide strategic leadership for the voluntary and community sector. This significant investment reflects the Government's commitment to a strong, independent and competent voluntary and community sector (VCS) and its desire to ensure that front line organisations have access to the support they need.
The Change Up hubs model has attracted some general criticism, and I reported last year on difficulties facing the technology hub in particular. This has now been resolved, with funding for the ICT hub consortium of £4 million, and also £1.2 million for the Net:gain partnership led by ruralnet|uk with partners Ufi, Foyer Federation, and Funding Matters. As I understand it, they have complementary approaches, with the the consortium offering a range of resources including support for circuit riders, and Net:gain working with local UK online technology centres. This will build on their previous DirectSupport work (declaration - I'm a partner in that).
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