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A funding boost of £3.4million is being spent across South Ribble – helping bring events to life and support businesses.
Blog Preston asked for an update on where the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, worth £3.4million to the borough over a period of three years, was being splashed.
A total of 37 different projects are being funded by the borough council.
Read more: What Preston’s £5.2m UKSPF funding is being spent on
Leader of South Ribble Borough Council, councillor Jacky Alty, was unable to comment on how the funding is being spent due to the upcoming by-election taking place for the council – which prevents the leader and cabinet member speaking publicly on funding and other council commitments.
The majority of the UKSPF money, which is provided by central government, is being invested in support local businesses and what’s known as ‘communities and place’.
There is currently uncertainty about the future of the fund, as the county’s new Devolution deal proposes moving some of the mechanism for it to Lancashire County Council level and the new Labour government has not confirmed any future commitments to the fund itself.
Here’s some of the schemes being funded by UKSPF across South Ribble
Blog Preston asked under the Freedom of Information request for the amount of money being spent per scheme, but South Ribble Borough Council said it was only able to provide headline amounts per strand of work taking place rather than individual projects due to its budget-setting process and financial systems.
Instead we were provided with a summary for some of the larger projects taking place.
Town centre events. Penwortham Live and Longton Live are two multi-venue festivals to receive direct support. Hundreds of artists performed across more than 40 venues. The Leyland Festival also received grant funding.
Boost business support. As Preston and other authorities have done, the borough council is funding support for start-up and scaling-up businesses through Boost, the Lancashire Growth hub.
Digital and cyber support. A firm called Northern Reach has been appointed to bring digital businesses across South Ribble together, developing and growing the sector.
Leyland Market. A number of market traders have been supported as part of the relocation of the market – as work takes place on a new build market.
Read more: Leyland Market to relocate for a year as refurbishment starts
Community grants. 12 organisations in the borough have been given funding to deliver activities and programmes such as early-years and family support across Leyland, Bamber Bridge and Penwortham. An education hub has been established and in another project live theatre has been brough to South Ribble.
Commercial investment grants. A scheme set up for businesses to make improvements to their commercial premises including redecorating, new fixtures and signage.
Culture and heritage. Venues in the borough being directly supported, including support the development of Worden Hall as a wedding and events venue as well as new windows at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland.
Social prescribing services. Hundreds of referrals have been made through the scheme for individuals to build confidence and resilience by accessing a range of health and wellbeing support. The borough council say the scheme has been so successful they plan to continue social prescribing regardless of any future UKSPF funding being available.
Further business support scheme have been co-funded by South Ribble including low carbon support, international trade and a universities innovation project which are seeing a number of councils all paying in financially to pay for training and research on behalf of businesses in their boroughs.
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