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A slate of projects to uplift volunteering in Preston, run more events and boost local businesses has seen more than £5million committed by the city council.
Known as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) a total of £5.2million has been given to Preston City Council to dish out in the last two years – it’s one of dozens of local authorities to have received the funding boost from central government.
We asked what has happened with the money and where it has gone, and also what the future of the fund was likely to be.
Read more: Aborted plan for Ashton Park Sports Hub has already cost council £850,000
At present the UKSPF has an uncertain future, with no commitments made by the new Labour government about whether it will continue – the funding runs to support projects until March 2025.
Lancashire’s current Devolution deal – due to start from the Autumn this year – indicates the UKSPF funding would also move from district council oversight to operating as part of the new combined authority and at county-level in the future – something of great concern to district councils like Preston.
Leader of Preston City Council councillor Matthew Brown told Blog Preston: “As great as all these projects and our aspirations are, the funding was originally allocated with the aim of empowering communities, promoting economic growth, and addressing regional disparities by providing targeted funding and local control through your council.
“There have been discussions for some time about both the legacy and sustainability of these important projects, so we will lobby the new government for this funding to continue and for a fairer settlement for local government in the future. For now, we will carry on creating vibrant public spaces, supporting local businesses, and creating opportunities for residents.”
And addressing where the money had been spent so far, Cllr Brown said: “Programme delivery for UKSPF continues to provide assurance that the projects are having a real impact in our communities. The greatest impact is on the health and wellbeing and life opportunities of our residents, which as a Council we want to address.
“These transformative projects cover our three priorities – Communities and Place; Supporting Local Business; and People and Skills – that embody our commitment to fostering inclusivity and equality in our communities.
“The response to the commissioning for delivery partners was inspiring and highlights the breadth of skills across our region and desire to enhance Preston as a great place to live and work.
“If we can equip our workforce with essential skills and support innovative projects by helping local businesses bring great ideas into reality and grow our social economy, we are laying the groundwork for sustained economic growth and prosperity across Preston.”
Where has the money gone?
We breakdown what each project funded has received and what it’s done so far with the cash.
The projects total doesn’t add up to £5.2m, with £300,000 spent on the administration and support needed on monitoring and delivering the projects by the city council.
We asked for a summary of what each project had achieved and what they mean – here’s what all the projects receiving more than £100,000 are:
Research and development with UCLan, Edge Hill and Lancaster University – More than 45 businesses are being provided with support, research and advice as part of their innovation support hub. Lancaster University and Edge Hill have also been working with a number of businesses to look at innovation opportunities.
BOOST Lancashire – 123 businesses are being given non-financial support, with a mix of start-up advice or advice being given to businesses who are expanding, applying for finance or taking on staff. 68 business enquired about accessing Boost support between April and June this year.
Net Zero and low carbon tech – East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce has been commissioned to support Preston firms on how to save money, reduce their carbon footprints and stimulate low-carbon initiatives. The city has an aim to be a net-zero city by 2030. 51 businesses have received non-financial support through the scheme, but ‘progress has been slower than anticipated to date’.
Move forward training (what was known as Step Change) – this aims to help economically inactive people find work, and has been led by Active Lancashire with support from Beanstalk, Lancashire Community Finance and PHX Training.
The report states ‘there was a short delay in delivering’ earlier this year due to training up new staff following the re-tender process.
109 economically inactive city residents have worked with a keyworker and 10 are now in education or training – with another 17 continuing to engage with their keyworker.
Cosy Homes in Lancashire – The city council pays into the project which supports multiple areas of Lancashire, and aims to help households with less than £36,000 per year annual income to help make their homes more energy efficient. To date 41 properties have been supported by the scheme in Preston.
City events programme – 143 different events have been supported across the city, including the King’s Coronation events, Encounter Festival, Christmas events, Choir Showcase, Fire Garden in Avenham and Miller Park and the Harris craft workshops. There’s claims the events have brought 200,000 extra visitors to the city and boosted visitor spending by £1.7m. Some of the funds are due to be used to ‘improve the Flag Market’ which Blog Preston understands will involve updating current promotional signage to be digital-display signs.
Invest in youth – intensive support was provided for young people aged 14 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training. A range of community organisations in the city have worked together to engage 105 economically inactive young people. 57 of those involved have reported increased employability and seven have secured jobs so far.
Parks improvements – from upgraded basketball courts to multi-use games areas being given a lick of paint there’s dozens of improvements happening at parks across the city. See full details and which parks are seeing upgrades.
Digital exclusion – the city council is establishing the Preston Digital Co-Operative and also investing in putting in a community broadband network. It’s being focused on specific neighbourhoods and community venues in the city.
Local skills fund and Green skills fund – Preston College is going to run a range of courses at accredited award, certificate and diploma level. Around 152 people are due to take part in the project with 137 continuing in education or training following the support received. It’s also receiving additional funding for the Green Skills fund with specific courses focused on energy-efficiency, net zero and practical work that needs doing to help insulate homes better. Around 250 people are expected to take part in these courses and receive qualifications.
Preston volunteering – two separate grants have been made to support setting up a volunteering service for the city, which is already signposting and supporting volunteering opportunities with 150 already listed across Preston. There’s also money being invested in bringing a former building in the Church Street area back into use to act as the centre for Preston Volunteers to operate from.
Community sports fund – the money has been spent on upgraded cricket and bowling facilities in Moor Park, tennis facilities across the city and upgrading football facilities at Broughton playing fields for women’s football. A total of 49 sporting tournaments have also been supported as well as investment in the Lancashire School of Boxing to help them move premises.
Read more: Vandals target Moor Park cricket pitches which were recently upgraded
Community engagement – Six organisations have received grants to upgrade community facilities and nineteen different projects and organisations have been funded in total. Funding still remains for further community organisations to apply for.
Energy efficiency – delivered by Rhea Projects they are making ‘small-scale’ interventions in residents homes to fit thermostats, LED bulbs and other work to help people cut down on energy usage. They are also working with community organisations to help improve energy efficiency in their buildings.
Community ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) – Positive Smiles CIC are working with 42 people to help develop their language skills and also providing other support alongside the languages classes.
CCTV cameras – four sites in Preston city centre have seen new cameras put in, including at parks. It is also helping to fund street safety officers in the city and youth outreach work.
Other funds receiving smaller grants, below £100,000, including restarting the Preston Partnership organisation, digital literacy training, Sahara employability training and tree planting in a number of parks and green spaces across the city.
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