Overview
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was launched in April 2022 and provides £2.6 billion in funding for local investment by March 2025.
The Fund supports the ambitions of the Levelling Up White Paper and aims to build pride in place and increase life chances across the country.
Rochford District Council has been allocated £1m for local levelling up projects.
Investment Priorities
After consultation with a wide range of community stakeholders in line with UKSPF guidance, the Council has prioritised the following UKSPF interventions in its Investment Plan, which was submitted on 1 August and approved on 5 December 2022:
- E1: Funding for improvements to town centres and high streets, including better accessibility for disabled people, including capital spend and running costs (£300k)
- E4: Enhanced support for existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer. (£600k)
- E23: Strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems, and supporting businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow and innovate, including through local networks (£100k)
Funding Profile
The Government has specified how the funding will be distributed to each local authority each year. The Rochford funding profile is as follows:
Funding Profile
| Funding Sources | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UKSPF Allocation | £75,450 | £150,900 | £773,651 | £1,000,000 |
UKSPF funds can be allocated in a combination of grants to public or private organisations, commissioning third party organisations, procurement of service provision and in-house provision.
2023/24 UKSPF Grant Programme
What is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Grant Programme 2023/24?
The Council has launched a grant programme allowing organisations to apply for funding towards local projects that benefit high streets or improve the local culture or heritage offer.
The Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund Grant Programme 2023/24 is offering grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 towards projects and activities that deliver between 1st June 2023 and 31st March 2024.
Both revenue and capital funding is available from the programme.
How do I know if my project is eligible?
In order to be eligible to apply, you must be or represent an established organisation. This could include a community group, charity, voluntary organisation, Parish or Town Council, Community Interest Company or registered business. We are unfortunately unable to accept applications from individuals.
You do not need to be based in Rochford District to apply, however your project must deliver within Rochford District.
In order to be eligible, all projects must:
- Deliver against at least one of Intervention E1 or E4 (see descriptions below)
- Deliver within Rochford District
- Deliver at least one outcome and output as listed in the guidance
Intervention E1: Funding for improvements to town centres and high streets, including better accessibility for disabled people including capital spend and running costs
Intervention E4: Enhanced Support for Existing Cultural, Historic and Heritage Institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer
More detailed eligibility criteria is listed within the guidance
Please note the 2023/24 UKSPF Grant Programme closed on 24th May 2023 and all applications have now been considered and grants awarded. Please see below for a list of successful applications.
2023/24 UKSPF Grant Programme successful applicants
There were nine successful applications to the above grant programme and they are:
• Bar n Bus Trust – to run a youth outreach project in Rayleigh with a focus on providing positive opportunities for young people in local parks
• Elysium Eco Events – to introduce a regular new eco-market in Rochford with a focus on showcasing sustainable and environmentally friendly products
• Friends of St Mary The Virgin CIC – to fund a programme of work aimed at repurposing St Mary The Virgin Church in Little Wakering as a community building
• Make Your Market – to run a programme of themed community markets across the District, with a focus on providing opportunities for young traders
• Rayleigh Town Council – to fund a project to repair and repaint street furniture across Rayleigh town centre
• Rochford District Council Licensing Team – to fund a period of taxi marshalling, and the installation of new defibrillators, in Rayleigh town centre
• Show Up Productions – to operate a range of new community events as part of a ‘Rochford in Winter’ initiative
• Volunteer It Yourself CIC – to lead a community rejuvenation project for Rochford WI Hall, with a focus on providing volunteering opportunities for local disadvantaged people
• Vulcan Restoration Trust – to fund new displays and visual material at the Vulcan’s hangar at London Southend Airport
To read the full press release announcing the successful applicants, please visit our ‘News’ section here
Rochford Local Partnership Group
Lead authorities must create a Local Partnership Group to provide advice on strategic fit and deliverability. This will ensure that Fund investments complement other activities in the area and meets Fund and local objectives. The government has recommended the types of partners that should be represented on the group.
The Rochford Local Partnership Group first met in March 2023 and will meet quarterly thereafter until March 2025. Notes of these meetings will be linked below.
Governance
As the Investment Plan has now been approved in principle by Government, a paper setting out next steps and steps for implementation was presented at the meeting of the Executive on 19 January 2023.
Details of how to put projects forward, including any grant programme, will be published on this page in due course, alongside any initiatives directly commissioned by the Council.