East Suffolk Council has today announced a new £1.5m programme that’s set to revitalise the district’s towns, village and rural communities.
Announced this morning (Thursday 26 February) at the Town Councils’ Conference held at High Lodge at Hinton, Saxmundham, the Thriving Places fund is planned to deliver projects that will strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of the district’s smallest communities.
Launching in April 2026, the fund that will run for two years will be open to town and parish councils, CICs and social enterprises, charities and not for profit organisations and community groups to upgrade facilities, aims to help improve public spaces and make a difference to the lives of local people.
Leader of East Suffolk Council, Cllr Caroline Topping said: “Our smaller communities are important to the fabric of East Suffolk, and we want to support them to be local centres of trade and ecommerce. A place for people to gather and places which build community understanding and cohesion, with that in mind, we are pleased to announce our Thriving Places Fund.
“Specifically targeted at smaller towns and communities in East Suffolk, this funding aims to revitalise and enhance local centres to encourage local enterprise, improve community participation, strengthen the local visitor and cultural economy, enable local carbon sustainable investment.
“We recognise the challenges our rural communities face – such as declining infrastructure, reduced access to services and the impact of social isolation, and to address the historical lack of place-based investment in these smaller communities, we are prioritising this funding support to meet each communities’ specific needs. The Thriving Places Fund aims to address these challenges and empower each locality to develop projects that with have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of local people.”
Contributing to the ambitions of East Suffolk Council’s strategic plan, Our Direction 2028, the fund supports its priorities of Environmental Impact, Sustainable Housing, Tackling Inequalities and a Thriving Economy by improving local infrastructure, enhancing community capacity and enabling inclusive participation.
Communities can apply for grants of up to £50,000 to support local projects which aim to reduce inequalities in the area, help people to adapt to changes, help to protect important local assets like buildings or spaces, improve access to services, skills, wellbeing activities and local facilities and support long-term local growth.
Capital grants of between £10,00 and £50,000 will be available for purchasing or improving physical assets, while revenue grants between £5,000 and £25,000 can be utilised to cover project-specific activities and operational costs. Up to 60% of project costs will be covered by the new grants and up to 80% for successful applications from community and not-for-profit organisations. Each year communities can apply within four funding rounds, with the final decision made by a grant panel consisting of senior East Suffolk councillors and officers.
The fund is open to all areas of the district apart from the town council areas of Felixstowe and Lowestoft due to the significant Council and external funding both towns continue to benefit from such as the £20m in Pride of Place funding that’s being awarded from central Government.
Further details on the funding will be available in April.