£9.4 million funding to support communities and businesses

Projects aimed at supporting businesses and communities in Westmorland and Furness are set to be funded to the tune of £9.4 million.

The money from the government’s three-year UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) will be used to support projects that fit within three investment criteria, including Community and Place, Supporting Local Business and People and Skills.

Just over £7.3 million will be available from the UKSPF for the next two year, with £2.1 million from the REPF targeted at the former South Lakeland and Eden areas.

The funds replace the previous EU-funded structural and regional development programmes.

Projects will focus on:

Community and Place

• Arts, heritage and culture

• Active travel

• Impactful volunteering and social action projects

• Inclusive sports facilities

Supporting Local Business

• Business support, start-up and growth

• Business decarbonisation

People and Skills

• Support to access employment

REPF project calls (former South Lakeland and Eden district council areas only)

• Support for existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions

• Support for rural businesses

• Support to grow the rural social economy

The project calls have been released and virtual workshops for potential applicants will take place on June 1 and 13 before applications close on June 30.

Applications will be assessed in July and August, with final decisions made in September and project delivery from October.

Councillor Virginia Taylor, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for Sustainable Communities and Localities, said: “Money from these two funds will be powerful tools in helping make Westmorland and Furness a great place to live, work and thrive.

“We’ll pass this funding on to organisations with local knowledge and expertise – community groups, charities, local businesses – who’ve formulated and can deliver ambitious projects which improve prosperity for their communities, now and in the future.

“I look forward to seeing the bids come into the fund and the improvements that successful projects will deliver.’’

For more information see: www. westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/ukspf.