The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities recently provided an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, which is intended to replace European funding programmes.
The Fund – which only first tier local authorities such as County Councils and Unitary Council could bid into – aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches and will invest in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment. All places across the UK were eligible for pilot funding. The deadline for applications was 18 June 2021.
The Fund also provides capacity funding to help places prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has just published a list of 477 successful – and around 700 unsuccessful applicants to the Community Renewal Fund.
Successful bids in the South West region included:
o Cornwall County Council’s Alchemy Project.
o Devon County Council’s Enterprise Support Programme for Social Enterprises.
o North Somerset Council’s Community Hubs, and
o Somerset County Council’s Bridgwater Carnival Workshops.
Unsuccessful applications from the South West region included:
o Gloucestershire County Council – Reboot – Supported Employment Pilot.
o Plymouth City Council – Priority Skills Academy Pilot (PSAP).
o Somerset County Council – South Somerset Social Mobility Pilot, and
o West of England Combined Authority – Biking for good: Bringing economic (employment and skills), health, environmental and transport improvements to Bristol and beyond.
Spreadsheets listing all successful and unsuccessful applications to the Fund can be found at this LINK.
