East Suffolk Council
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
In April 2022, the Government launched the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support its Levelling Up agenda. The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. Full details of the fund are available in the UK Shared Prosperity Fund prospectus.
East Suffolk Council has been allocated £2.75m to invest across two and a half years (2022/23 - 24/25) in initiatives that will address inequality and contribute to levelling up. This is in addition to the £3.75m Multiply element of the UKSPF, which Suffolk County Council can apply for to support adult numeracy across the county. The funding can only be unlocked upon submission of an Investment Plan which is signed off by both the council and the government.
The primary goal of the overall £2.6bn UK Fund is “to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK” and is based around three investment priorities:
- Communities and Place
- Supporting Local Business
- People and Skills
While there is a link between the former EU funding regime and the UKSPF, the funding is not a direct replacement for EU Structural Funds.
The funding can be spent on capital (physical assets) and revenue (operational) projects.
The funding amounts for each of the three years differ as follows:
| Funding profile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding sources | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Total |
| UKSPF allocation | £334,072 | £668,144 | £1,750,536 | £2,752,752 |
| Revenue split | £300,664 | £581,285 | £1,400,428 | £2,282,378 |
| Capital split 10% / 13% / 20% (minimum) | £33,407 | £86,858 | £350,107 | £470,373 |
To develop the East Suffolk Investment Plan, the council gathered stakeholder input through a public survey to invite local stakeholders to give their views on what are the most pressing local challenges that need to be addressed, and the projects and initiatives that could best address them. This input was combined with data about the local area and existing funding, the Government criteria and wider strategic priorities to inform the development of the East Suffolk investment plan.
East Suffolk Council received official approval from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for our UKSPF Investment Plan on 5 December 2022. Delivery will commence with immediate action.
Investment Plan
Our Investment Plan contains eight key programmes, based on new and existing schemes to be delivered either locally or collaboratively with other local authorities in Suffolk.
East Suffolk Council have launched a series of grant schemes as part of our eight key programmes. These grants schemes will change over the period of the investment plan so please check for regular updates. The following grant schemes are open for applications:
| High Street Improvement Grant | |
|---|---|
| High Street Improvement Grant guidance | High Street Improvement Grant application |
| Events, Art and Culture Grant | |
| Events, Art and Culture Grant guidance | Events, Art and Culture Grant application |
Communities and Place
- East Suffolk High Street Improvement Plan
- Using place to strengthen our local social fabric to support the cost-of-living crisis: this will be a three-year programme which will take place through two key projects:
- East Suffolk Community Food Network
- East Suffolk Warm Rooms
Supporting Local Business:
- Suffolk wide business support programme
- Business start-up programme
- East Suffolk Small Business Move to Net Zero grant scheme
- East Suffolk capital business and workforce skills grant programme
People and Skills:
- Suffolk wide skills programme
- East Suffolk Local economy led skills and community skills programme
- Voluntary skills provision
Outcomes
Through this Investment Plan, we hope to achieve a range of outcomes such as:
- Rehabilitated premises and land in our high streets
- Support community members through the cost-of-living crisis
- Support businesses to start-up and grow
- Modernise and upgrade training centres and hubs
- Support decarbonisation whilst growing the local economy
- Provide direct support to those that are economically inactive
- Support people to engage with life skills or gain a vocational license through providing financial support
County collaboration
Suffolk Local Authorities have recognised the benefits and the economies of scale that can be achieved through a collaborative business support and skills programme. The county has significant experience of collaborating and delivering on EU skills and business programmes.
Lead local authorities and key partners have worked up proposals for pooling UKSPF funding in these priority areas, which have been supported in principle by the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group (Chief Executives of Suffolk Local Authorities).
Consultation
A Local Partnership Group of local stakeholders will be established to act as an advisory and oversight group on project development and delivery. To support the ongoing UKSPF activity an experienced and skilled team of East Suffolk Council officers has been established.
To learn more about this scheme and our Investment Plan, please contact our Economic Development Team.
Rural England Prosperity Fund
On 3 September 2022, the Government announced a new, £110m Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) which will help to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.
The REPF is a top-up to and complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England..
East Suffolk has been allocated £1.129m of REPF funding, to be delivered over the next two years (2023/24 and 2024/25).
The Rural England Prosperity Fund will provide capital grants to small businesses and community infrastructure in the district's rural area.
To drawdown the funding, an addendum to the UKSPF Investment Plan has been submitted to Government on 30 November 2022. The submitted addendum has identified the challenges and opportunities for the East Suffolk's rural businesses and communities through data driven evidence and stakeholder consultation in order to shape our priorities for REPF funding. We anticipate to receive approval on our submitted Investment Plan Addendum in early 2023.