Green light for funding boosts

The green light has been given for more than £4.5 million to be spent on a raft of projects across the borough.

Stafford Borough Council was awarded one of the largest pots of money in the country from the government’s ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund’ after successfully putting forward schemes to help regeneration, climate change and culture.

And senior councillors have now given the go ahead for the money to be spent on a string of projects at a recent meeting.

They include the new Crown Wharf Theatre and scout building in Stone, the History Centre in Stafford, town centre regeneration, supporting businesses through new grants schemes and the possibility of creating an enterprise centre to encourage investment in rural businesses.

The money has come from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is part of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda.

A report which was discussed by members of the council’s cabinet said: “Stafford Borough Council was allocated a provisional sum of £4,673,363 to cover both revenue and capital expenditure.

“To access the funding allocation the Borough

Council was required to prepare an Investment Plan to show how it would wish to use the monies in line with guidance and criteria published alongside the provisional allocations.”

The total allocation covers a three-year period to 2025 and is aimed at boosting communities, supporting local businesses and improving skills as part of the government’s ‘Levelling Up’ fund.

Along with helping to kit out the auditorium at the Crown Wharf Theatre in Stone with £495,000, finishing the refurbishment of the town’s scout building with £100,000; and supporting the £7 million History Centre development in Eastgate Street, other areas the funding will be spent on include: £1.5 million towards the Stafford town centre transformation programme; Around £1 million to drive the visitor economy; £250,000 on climate change projects; £500,000 for grants to help local businesses grow and; £1 million to support business innovation.