Decision details

Sheffield City Council has been awarded £500,000 by Visit England as part of Visit England’s Discover England Fund.  The funding will enable the Council to create adrenaline fuelled city breaks designed to attract international adventure sports enthusiasts.

This report seeks the approval for the Council to act as Accountable Body and to accept a grant offer from Visit England for the above project.

That the Executive Director, Place:-

(i) agrees that Sheffield City Council will act as Accountable Body for the Adrenaline Fuelled City Break Project; and

(ii) authorises the Council to accept the grant offer from Visit England for £500,000 and notes the requirement that this will need to be spent by March 2019.

The funding will support new activity to promote Sheffield as a tourist destination, stimulating new economic activity and raising the profile of the city to an international audience. 

As well generating direct benefits for local businesses, it is anticipated that the organisational learning from managing the project will leave a legacy for future initiatives relating to tourism.

Not Accepting The Grant

•           There is currently no other programmed activity aimed at tourists that will achieve these benefits at the same scale, and therefore not accepting the grant will be an economic opportunity lost for the city. 

•           Whilst existing officer time will be required, particularly in the early stages of establishing the project, the vast majority of the costs associated with project management will be funded through DEF.