87. Kirklees Hyper Local UKSPF Evaluation
Kada Research were commissioned by Kirklees Council to evaluate a suite of projects as part of the £5.82 million Hyper Local UKSPF programme. The evaluation assessed the programme’s strengths and weaknesses and identified lessons to improve delivery and increase the impact of future programmes.
The Hyper Local programme consisted of targeted, UKSPF funded support delivered in all five West Yorkshire local authority areas. The support was tailored to local need and took a bespoke approach to delivery based on local community needs. Of the £30 million UKSPF allocation in West Yorkshire, £5.824 million (19%) was allocated to Kirklees to deliver a suite of capital and revenue funded activities. Kirklees’ Hyper Local programme was comprised of 26 projects, split across the three UKSPF investment themes which aimed to deliver ambitions of improving local pride in place, increasing life chances, helping spread and create opportunity and build a sense of community and belonging.
Kada’s evaluation focussed on ten of these projects which included a range of activities from New to English support to a Participation in the Arts and Creative Economy (PACE) project, as well as a standalone Safety of Women and Girls project in Kirklees. The evaluation followed a process and theory-based approach, drawing on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess the effectiveness of delivery processes and evidence the programme’s impact.
Projects performed well and overachieved against the majority of profiled outputs and outcomes. Delivery stakeholders cited several wider benefits including digital and social inclusion, regeneration benefits, societal awareness and advocacy, progression towards volunteering, learning and employment, and community cohesion. The economic impact assessment of the projects evaluated found that £6.9m net benefits have been estimated to be generated, with a return on investment of 1.2:1. Potential total benefits (including those yet to be secured) against total programme spend generated a return of investment of 2.5:1.
The evaluation concluded that the Hyper Local programme had delivered many successes, and a range of impacts. The evaluation built on these lessons learnt to suggest a series of recommendations to take forward.
The Kirklees UKSPF team outlined:
“Partnering with Kada Research on the evaluation of our Kirklees UKSPF Hyper Local programme was an extremely rewarding experience built on collaboration, trust and transparency.
From the outset, their team worked seamlessly with ours — building strong relationships grounded in openness, mutual respect and shared commitment. Their evaluation was both thorough and insightful, helping to highlight critical strengths and produce well thought through, highly practical recommendations that aligned with our strategic priorities. We have already begun embedding changes to embrace greater flexibility in our delivery models to meet local needs, maintained VCSEs at the heart of our approach and boosted administrative support and knowledge-sharing mechanisms to strengthen future collaboration.
Their work continues to shape our thinking and implementation — and we’re proud of the tangible improvements we’ve made as a result of this productive partnership.”
If you are thinking about commissioning an evaluation study or if you would like to talk through an idea or hear about this work, you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.
