Earlier this year, the Council submitted an investment plan to the Government to say how it would deliver the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) over the next three years.
The UKSPF is a mixed revenue and capital allocation aimed at building pride in place and increasing life chances across the UK and replaces European and other funding streams which end in 2023.
The Council has already asked businesses, community groups, and residents to tell us what is important to them across the three core strands of Communities & Place, Supporting Business and People & Skills.
Now, there is the opportunity to attend an information event on 12 October at 10am to 1130. You can either attend this in person at Grimsby Town Hall, or attend via a “Teams” meeting. If you would like to attend, you can book you place on Eventbrite: UK Shared Prosperity Fund Information Sessions Tickets, Wed 12 Oct 2022 at 10:00 | Eventbrite.
The session will give details of how organisations, community groups and individuals can bid for a share of this fund in the coming months, with projects being delivered from April next year. It’s not a requirement to attend the webinar to bid for the money, and all information will be published on our website, along with Frequently Asked Questions.
Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of the Council, said: “There’s lots going on in North East Lincolnshire at the moment, and we want to do our bit to help businesses and organisations grow. As long as your plan fits in with the themes, you are based in North East Lincolnshire and deliver activities in the borough, you can bid for the money. We particularly want to hear from businesses and organisations that support others in the community to help promote growth.”
The UKSPF is allocated to local authorities to replace the “European Structural Funds” programmes, ERDF and ESIF which this area has previously benefited from.
North East Lincolnshire has been allocated £6,244,819 in the UKSPF, of which £962,714 is ringfenced adult numeracy skills in a scheme called “Multiply”.
The remainder of the UKSPF allocation will be split between the three core areas, as defined by Government: Communities & Place, Supporting Business and People & Skills, and the Investment Plan will outline the interventions which best meet the needs of the area.
These interventions cover:
Community and Place
- Strengthening our social fabric and fostering a sense of local pride and belonging.
- To build resilient and safe neighbourhoods.
Supporting local business
- Creating jobs and boosting community cohesion by supporting local businesses.
- Promoting networking and collaboration and stimulating innovation and growth.
- Targeted support to help businesses grow – for example, innovation, productivity, energy efficiency, low carbon and exporting.
People and skills (available in year 3 of the scheme)
- Boosting core skills and support adults to progress in work.
- Supporting disadvantaged people to access the skills they need.
- Funding local skills needs and supplementing local adult skills provision.
- Reducing levels of economic inactivity and supporting those furthest from the local labour market.
Further details about the fund can be found on the council’s website.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus.
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