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:
| East Suffolk High Street Improvement Grant – Shop Front | |
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| Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this programme meets the ‘Communities and Place’ investment priority by strengthening our social fabric and fostering a sense of local pride and belonging, through investment in activities that enhance physical, cultural, and social ties and amenities, such as community infrastructure and local green space, and community-led projects. The investment will look to improve sustainability within town centres by building quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in, through targeted improvements to the built environment and innovative approaches to town centres. Businesses can apply for a grant of between £2,000 - £5,000. The intervention rate is 50%. The fund is available to businesses, landlords and tenants of high street businesses who are located within the geographical area of East Suffolk, and can support the following types of projects:
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The High Street Improvement Grant scheme is now closed. |
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| Capital Skills Investment Grant | |
| Capital Skills Investment Grant guidance | Capital Skills Investment Grant application |
| Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this provides capital grants to organisations with, or planning to develop, dedicated space or facilities for training and education that meets the needs of our workforce within the district. There are two tiers of grant funding available to eligible organisations:
East Suffolk Council are particularly keen to receive grant applications for projects that aim to address identified skill gaps within East Suffolk’s key industrial sectors. Particularly those sectors identified within the East Suffolk Economic Strategy 2022-2027, i.e.:
East Suffolk Council are committed to developing education, training, and skills related opportunities to help businesses recruit, train, and retain skilled staff; stimulating enterprise and ensuring residents can access high quality employment. |
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Rolling applications accepted from April 1 2024 until:
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| Suffolk Business Grant Scheme | |
| Suffolk Business Grant Scheme guidance | Suffolk Business Grant Scheme application |
| Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Suffolk Business Grant Scheme is delivered by Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council and West Suffolk Council. The Suffolk district councils are looking to provide support to businesses across Suffolk to grow and become more productive, to encourage innovation and to become more environmentally sustainable through small grants to local SME businesses. Businesses can apply for grants between £2,500 and £5,000, with a maximum grant intervention of 50%. Businesses wishing to apply or for further guidance and support can contact the New Anglia Growth Hub to discuss their project or call: 0300 333 6536. The specialist Business Growth Advisers will work with you to ensure your project is suitable for the grant scheme (or advise you of other potential more suitable grant schemes) and support you in developing your application as required. As part of the process, an initial in-depth diagnostic exercise will be undertaken by New Anglia Growth Hub Business Advisers to determine eligibility of your business and identify what type of support you require. The services of the Growth Hub are free and impartial, but you will need to register your details with them to access support. Once you have spoken to an advisor, you can either complete the application form yourself using the link above or work with an advisor to complete this with you. |
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The Suffolk Small Business grant scheme is currently closed. |
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| East Suffolk Pantries Grant | |
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The East Suffolk Pantries Grant scheme is now closed. |
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| East Suffolk Energy Efficiency grant | |
| Due to the overwhelming success of the Grant Fund, we have had to close the Fund early. We apologise for any inconvenience. | |
| Events, Art and Culture Grant | |
| Events, Art and Culture Grant guidance | Events, Art and Culture Grant application |
| The Events, Arts and Culture Grants scheme is now closed. Please check this page for further updates. | |
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.
| Information about the Rural England Prosperity Fund and further grant opportunities |