Local Access is a joint funding programme established by Access and Big Society Capital that aims to support the development of stronger, more resilient and sustainable social economies in disadvantaged areas.
The aims of Local Access are:
- Build strong and sustainable local support systems to underpin enterprise growth and resilience for charities and social enterprises;
- Pool and share resources to support more efficient delivery models for investment or interventions;
- Promote collaborative or joint access to local pots of funding, incorporating both grant and repayable finance; and
- Promote and strengthen local money flows to keep capital within local social economies
Local Access will be financed nationally by £10m of dormant accounts money allocated to Access from the government’s Reclaim Fund, and around £15m of repayable finance provided by Big Society Capital.
In January 2020, Greater Manchester was chosen as one of six places from across England to take the programme forward. Within Greater Manchester, Wigan, Bolton, Oldham, and Stockport have been selected as the delivery areas.