LoCASE: Support and green grants to grow your business
LoCASE: Support and green grants to grow your business
Businesses across Hampshire can access up to £10,000 in funding to boost their growth prospects and at the same time, help the UK in meeting its Net Zero target through LoCASE.
Grant funding through the Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) programme is now available until June 2023, with the aim of supporting businesses to become more competitive and profitable through installing energy efficiency measures, developing low carbon goods and services, or adopting eco-innovative business solutions.
LoCASE is a European Regional Development Fund programme, led by Kent County Council, across four Local Enterprise Partnership areas (SELEP, Coast to Capital, Enterprise M3 and Solent) in partnership with local authorities and universities.
Why does LoCASE matter?
Helping businesses to implement environmentally friendly solutions is a real opportunity to bring about change. As with so many things, it’s making the first step that is the most difficult. With LoCASE, businesses can not only access grant funding but also other support, such as training workshops, events, and direct business advice. This is a real opportunity for businesses not only to reduce their carbon footprint and become more sustainable, but crucially to become more competitive and successful too.
How do the grants work and what can they be used for?
A grant from the LoCASE programme covers up to 40% of the cost of an eligible project, with the remainder matched by your business. Any eligible business can use funding towards having energy efficiency measures installed for their business. Grants can contribute to both the cost of materials or equipment, and costs of installation. Projects which save on fuel/mileage are also acceptable. If your business offers low carbon (or “green”) goods or services, a business development grant is also available to you. With this business development grant, you can also claim on costs such as marketing and consultancy costs, accreditation, and certification.
Examples of projects that LoCASE support include:
- Upgrading to more energy efficient heating, lighting, and IT systems.
- Improving insulation and glazing.
- Improving building control systems.
- Investment in new plant and machinery as well as refrigeration equipment.
- Investment in renewables.
- R&D / product development support.
Who leads on LoCASE for Hampshire?
Across Hampshire, LoCASE is led by the Southampton City Council through the Solent Apprenticeship and Skills Hub (SASH) in partnership with Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Solent and EM3 LEPs and the universities.
SASH have a dedicated team currently working across a range of skills support solutions and now offer a business support service for the LoCASE programme. Since they took this role on at the beginning of 2022, over 100 businesses have made enquiries on LoCASE alone. This figure is steadily increasing as more businesses are made aware of this grant opportunity and the technical support available to assist them in meeting their green growth ambitions.
Greg White, a member of the SASH team and a LoCASE specialist states, “Interest in the programme has come from a wide range of business sectors in Hampshire, including manufacturing, automotive industries, retail, IT services, community groups, transportation, restaurants, cosmetics, wholesalers, cleaning services, hospitality… in fact, the list goes on!
The opportunities to improve business and energy efficiencies, develop new markets, create new jobs – whilst at the same time having a positive impact on the environment – can be found in a wide range of settings.
Increasing energy costs, alongside personal motivations and values to improve the environment, is focusing the minds of the business community even more on what improvements they can make to maintain competitiveness. Every bit helps and LoCASE is here to do just that.”
Get involved!
The Solent Apprenticeship and Skills Hub are running monthly webinars on LoCASE, with the next one taking place on Wednesday 15th March, at 3pm.
Follow the link to our Eventbrite to register for free:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/locase-information-webinar-tickets-255259035647.
Check out our LoCASE page on the website if you want to find out more about the programme and get in touch. Alternatively, you can also contact the team via locase@southampton.gov.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!