Rural England Prosperity Fund - Call for projects

Overview

NB Please also refer to the Shared Prosperity Fund pages and state clearly on the online application form, which fund you are applying for; the online form is the same for both SPF and REPF applications.

Latest news update and revised deadline for SPF and REPF funding applications only

Please note therefore that the extension means that the new deadline for all SPF and REPF applications is now Friday 28th July at 17:00 (see below for detail).

The deadline of 14th July at 17:00 for submissions to the Community Infrastructure Levy still remains the same.

Please see below a clarification note to the original email sent on 5th June relating to the information shared at the two webinars held.

Webinar information update July

During ongoing advice and discussions with several organisations exploring submitting REPF or SPF bids, the most recent split of funding for three of the themes for the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) were not included in the webinar slides.

These specific changes are in respect of the themes and interventions for E2, E7 & E10 and the amended and correct figures for funding under these themes are now as follows and are included in the updated webinar slides (see attachments).

Intervention Reported figure and actual now available:

E2: Community & neighbourhood infrastructure projects; Reported figure £1,000; the actual figure of monies available is £51,000

E7: Support for active travel enhancements in local area: Reported figure £1,500; the actual figure of monies available is £51,500

E10: Local sports facilities, tournaments, teams & leagues*; Reported figure £262,852.95; the actual figure of monies available is £162,852.95 (*) (in the case of E10 this made up of £100,000 Revenue & £62,852.95 Capital)

As a result of this latest change, we have decided to extend the deadline for all submissions to both the Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund by an additional fortnight to maximise the breath and range of projects submitted for 2023-2024.

This will enable those considering submitting applications for these themes in light of the changes to submit an application whilst at the same time allowing more time for all applicants to prepare their final submissions.

Please note therefore that the extension means that the new deadline for all SPF and REPF applications is now Friday 28th July at 17:00.

We still expect to assess and finalise approvals and issue contracts during September 2023. Please note however there is no change to the deadline for the Community Infrastructure Funding deadline which remains as originally stated to be Friday 14th July at 17:00. We will also update the website information with details of the change in deadline and changes to the funding available for these categories of intervention by attaching this information there.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a top-up to the UKSPF and is available to eligible local authorities in England. It succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. Nationally, a total of up to £110 million is available for financial years 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025.

Stratford-on-Avon District (SDC) have been conditionally allocated £1,015,143, with the amount available for 2023-2024 amounting to £ 253,795. The breakdown of the funding for each theme can be found in the application guidance below, but please be advised that all the funding for the Rural England Prosperity Fund is capital only.

The Year 2 Call for Projects application process opens on Monday 5th June 2023 and will close at 17:00 on Friday 14th July 2023. Thereafter, all received project applications will undergo an assessment before being approved.

Online briefing sessions will be held on Thursday 15th June from 18:00-19:30 and Tuesday 20th June from 08:30-10:00 am. This will give potential applicants the opportunity to seek clarifications before they complete and submit the application forms.

Alternatively, questions can be sent to ukspf@stratford-dc.gov.uk which will be responded to as soon as practically possible by the team. There is an outline expectation to make decisions on selected projects by the end of August/early September 2023 and contracts and grants agreements to be in place by the middle-end of September 2023. Further details will be shared on this page as the programme develops so be sure to check back for more information. Please also refer to the Shared Prosperity Fund pages that are launched for the second year on 5th June 2023.

The online application form, including the legal document as well as the guidance, are attached below:

Online application form link

SPF and REPF application guidance

Legal document

For SDC to receive its proposed allocation, it has submitted an addendum to the UKSPF Investment Plan. As part of the work to develop this we had to gather some potential project ideas from stakeholders which helped us determine need for the additional REPF interventions. The addendum to the Investment Plan can be found here.

The addendum covers three areas.

a) Local Context: referencing the fund's investment priorities -supporting rural businesses and supporting rural communities.

b) Interventions: there is a defined list of options to choose from, and we have to explain how the ones we choose respond to the local context.

c) Delivery: as per UKSPF, how and when the Council will deliver the interventions identified.

For further information on this please find below the following documents:

With regard to the UKSPF, there are two extra interventions enabling funding for:

  • small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas
  • rural circular economy projects.

The list of interventions also provides example projects which could be funded, such as grants for:

  • New and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy; this includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams
  • New and improved community infrastructure, providing essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.

To select projects and ensure their delivery for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) the Stratford-on-Avon District Council Local Prosperity Advisory Group (LPAG) has been formed. To view the terms of reference for the Group please click here.

Contact: The Planning Policy team

Last updated on 10/07/2023