Council secures £0.5M from Rural England Prosperity Fund
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) has been awarded just over £500,000 of Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) money to support its rural communities and businesses.
Capital grants for Community groups of between £3,000 and £20,000 will be available to projects that support new and improved community facilities, local art and heritage, rural green space, and/or essential community services for local people.
Capital grants for business of between £5,000 and £25,000 will be available to new and existing rural businesses, to develop new products, services and equipment that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This could include farms looking to diversify or businesses needing new equipment to develop.
Councillor Alison Johnston, portfolio holder for Climate Emergency and Countryside, said: “The REPF is a great addition to the range of grants we have available to support our businesses. We have a large rural community in the borough and this funding will really help businesses in those areas to grow, invest and become more productive.”
Community and Leisure portfolio holder councillor, Terese Swain, said: “It is fantastic news that we have been awarded the funding to help our rural communities to thrive. These grants will support local organisations to provide services and facilities that will hugely benefit the local community.”
Funding will be available to support:
Rural Businesses
- Small scale investments in micro and small enterprises (fewer than 50 employees)
- Development and promotion of the visitor economy through micro, small and medium sized enterprises (fewer than 250 employees)
- Growing the local social economy & supporting innovation through micro, small and medium sized enterprises (fewer than 250 employees)
Rural Community
- Local arts, culture, heritage and creative activities
- Creation of or improvement to rural green space
- Impactful volunteering and social action projects.
For more information please visit: https://testvalley.gov.uk/BusinessREPF for Business Grants or https://testvalley.gov.uk/CommunityREPF for Community Grants
Note:
Rural England Prosperity Fund is an addendum to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
