Cabinet approves 37 projects for share of UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet has today, Monday 2 October, agreed the final list of projects to be funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) and the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).

Local community groups and organisations were invited to bid for the SPF and REPF funding and 37 community projects across the District have been granted funding.

A total of 59 applications were received, with a combined project total of £2,151,250 against £1,251,617.76 of funding available.  All applications went through a rigorous 5-stage assessment, to reach the final projects to be selected for approval.

Cllr Susan Juned, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: "We've been overwhelmed by the number of applications we received from community groups and organisations, nevertheless, a whole host of projects across the District are set to benefit from this funding. 

"The projects that we are funding are wide-ranging from business support and growth to community infrastructure projects; from supporting the Stratford Time Bank in Upper Lighthorne to expanding free activity programmes with Stour Health and Wellbeing Partnership.

"Clearly, demand has outstripped supply, and some organisations and groups may be disappointed, but I would urge them to get in touch with our team to help strengthen future applications and better their chances of securing future funding. Having been successful in securing this funding for projects, we want as many of our community groups and organisations to benefit from this.

"This funding stream enables the District Council to work with our partner organisations to achieve positive outcomes and benefits for the District and supporting a programme of business support through different delivery partners."

The highest individual amount of funding awarded is for £59,838.00, with three projects focusing on the Strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems theme, with a total of £382,546 being awarded; creating 29 jobs and safeguarding 52 jobs and 16 new businesses created.

Cllr Juned continued: "The business support given in Year 2 will continue into Year 3, to help address the variety of different issues businesses are facing moving towards zero carbon operations, helping businesses to become more resilient and also helping to support high growth, research intensive and technology-based businesses, to help diversify the economy."

Other awards include:

• £132,750 supporting the theme of Local sports facilities, teams and leagues.
• £74,191 supporting Community and neighbourhood infrastructure projects, creating 32 jobs and reducing greenhouse gas.
• £69,614 supporting Creation of and improvement to local green spaces.
• £59,500 supporting Export grants to support overseas trading, creating four jobs and safeguarding 20 and helping 10 businesses increase their export capacity.
• £47,468 supporting the theme Development and promotion of the Visitor economy theme, securing four jobs and 110 local events and activities.
• £44,878 supporting Training hubs, business support offers, incubators and accelerators, creating three new businesses.
• £34,744 supporting Relevant Feasibility Studies.
• £26,541 supporting active travel enhancements in the local area, increasing the use of cycleways or paths.
• £13,500 R&D grants supporting innovative product and service development.
• £10,650 supporting capacity building and infrastructure support local groups.
• £5,200 supporting impactful volunteering and / or social action projects.

For more detailed information please see: UKSPF Exec Summary Report

The District Council will now explore options for using the underspend in additional District Council led schemes, where they match the SPF and REPF criteria.

For further information please email the team: UKSPF@stratford-dc.gov.uk

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK government's ambitious Levelling Up agenda and a significant component of its support for places across the UK.

The £2.6bn fund, announced as part of the Levelling Up agenda, consists of a mix of capital and revenue funding which replaces the previous European Structural Funds and aims to empower local lead authorities to identify opportunities to build pride in place, improve the places in which people live and supporting individuals and businesses to thrive, by:

• Boosting productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging
• Spreading opportunities and improving public services, especially in those places where they are weakest
• Restoring a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost
• Empowering local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency

Each area of the UK has received an allocation from the fund via a funding formula rather than a competition. Stratford-on-Avon District Council acts as a Lead Authority and has been allocated around £3.59 million of funding for 2022-2025 for local investment over three years to be spent by March 2025.

The Budget allocated to year 2 by UKSPF for the District Council was £997,823 and for REPF was £253,794.76.