Agenda item

Report number: OAS/WS/24/004

[Councillor Luke Halpin arrived at 5.15pm during the consideration of this item].

The Committee received report number OAS/WS/24/004, presented by the Cabinet Member for Families and Communities, which provided an update, requested by the Chair in January 2024 on how the Council had been allocating funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) to projects and initiatives in West Suffolk.

The report included information on how the £1.9 million UKSPF and the £753,000 REPF allocations had been spent to date in the district and where allocations remained to be spent next year.  Appendices A to D provided details of the projects which had been funded and the remaining allocations.

The UKSPF and REPF were introduced by the Government to succeed EU funding, with the purpose of supporting councils to make improvements for local communities and businesses.  Councils had to submit three-year investment plans for the funding in 2022 and identify so-called “interventions” set by Government against which the funding would be spent.  There were also strict rules around capital and revenue spending and the outcomes and outputs that must be achieved.

Funding had been used to support a wide range of important projects, across the voluntary, community and social enterprise, private and public sectors, which would make a difference in local areas.  However, West Suffolk’s allocation was not large compared to other councils, and that there had been challenges with the funding.

The Committee considered the report and appendices in detail and asked questions of the Cabinet Member to which responses were provided.  In particular discussions were held on making ward members aware of funding so they could inform community groups in their wards of what was available; how the funding was publicised to community groups/organisations and what happens to funding if not all allocated by 2025.

In response to a question raised on whether feedback was collected on how funding had helped organisations, the Committee was informed that there was a grant agreement in place with every organisation that required the submission of monitoring information to the council and then to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities  to show the benefit from the funding provided.

In response to a question raised on what criteria had the Government used to allocate funding to local authorities, the Committee was advised that funding had been allocated on a local authorities’ population size and level of deprivation. 

In response to a question raised on double funding and core funding, the Committee was informed that where UKSPF had been given to organisations who were also funded from other council funding streams, it was used for specific projects and not for core funding.  For example, the Theatre Royal had received funding so they could hold outreach activities.  In relation to Citizens Advice, officers agreed to provide a written response.

In relation to the £38,109 funding provided in 2023-24 to support projects for town and parish councils and Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) for high street improvements, the Committee questioned how it was used, to which a breakdown was provided as follows:

Clare:                    The provision of two poles on Market Hill to expand the current hanging basket display. 

The supply and installation of six heritage bollards to the pavement in the area of the War Memorial, in order to enhance the visual appeal of the area, and to provide an additional safety feature to protect pedestrians. 

Repainting shop fronts in the town centre to improve the aesthetics of the area.

Brandon:               High St infrastructure improvements including bridge parapets; street furniture painting and repositioning; bin storage; drain cleaning and repair and removal of raised curbs. 

Bury St Edmunds: Deliver an ice rink in Charter Square as part of the Christmas in Bury St Edmunds event. The UKSPF contribution would allow this attraction to be free over the Christmas period driving footfall to the town centre. 

Haverhill:              To install a digital display screen at the Market Square/Queen Street end of the main shopping street in Haverhill to promote events in town to increase awareness, important public messages, the weekly market, business events etc. 

Mildenhall:            To offer grants for businesses in the town centre who will be conducting work on the exterior of their buildings. 

Newmarket:          Newmarket High Street shop front improvement assistance scheme, to encourage business owners to improve their frontages in line with the West Suffolk Shop Front Policy and Newmarket Neighbourhood Plan shop front standards guidelines. 

Business owners would be able to apply for some funding towards:- 

a: Shop front improvement (to carry out structural changes) 

                             b: Shop front painting (smaller upgrades) 

At the conclusion of the discussions the Chair on behalf of the Committee thanked the Cabinet Member for her attendance and noted the challenges which officers had faced.  She also suggested more communication on this topic as it was a good news story for West Suffolk.

There being no decisions required the Committee noted the progress made so far in allocating West Suffolk’s UKSPF and REPF allocations to local projects and initiatives.