Council working with local parishes to support thriving community projects

Councillors and officers from Test Valley Borough Council are working with parish councils and local residents to identify projects that will improve people’s quality of life.

Through running a series of Thriving Communities meetings and workshops, the council is able to provide a platform for local communities to share their initiatives and discuss the different funding options available to help progress their aspirations.

On Wednesday 22 May a third successful Rural Thriving Communities event took place at Broughton Village Hall, with more than 70 residents and partners in attendance. Speakers from Barton Stacey All Saints Church, Broughton Community Shop and Monxton & Amport Village Hall shared the benefit of their experience in taking forward inspirational projects with and for their communities. The session gave members of the public the chance to come together and actively engage in helping to shape the future of the areas in which they live and to learn from neighbouring communities experience.

This initiative builds upon the existing work that the council has undertaken to help support community groups and organisations through Community Asset Funds over recent years. In 2023/24 an estimated £300,000 was allocated towards up to 13 community not-for-profit organisations for a wide variety of projects to enhance existing and acquire new community assets, as part of over £900,000 distributed in recent years through the Council’s Community Asset Fund.

Some of the projects identified in these workshops and which communities were keen to take forward will also have the potential to be funded by part of the £500,000 of Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) which was awarded to the council in December last year. 

Within this funding, capital grants for community groups of between £3,000 and £20,000 are available for 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 businesses of between £5,000 and £25,000 are available for 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.

A spokesperson from Test Valley Borough Council said: “Our Thriving Communities approach gives us the chance to really immerse ourselves in local communities to better understand residents’ needs and talk about the opportunities that are available to them.

“We’ve supported some really worthwhile causes over the past few years and now with the REPF available for rural communities, we encourage organisations to attend future sessions or visit the council website to find out more about how they can apply for funds.”

For more information about the Rural England Prosperity Fund visit https://testvalley.gov.uk/BusinessREPF

For more information about Community Grants visit Community Asset Fund | Test Valley Borough Council

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.

 

 

Last Updated: 05 June 2024