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UK Shared Prosperity Fund

UK Shared Prosperity Fund - background information

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK government's Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6bn of funding for local investment across the UK between April 2022 and 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. It replaces European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a top-up to the UKSPF and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. The Fund supports the aims of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper and Future Farming Programme with investment for capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure that help to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.

Lead local authorities have flexibility over how they deliver the UKSPF and REPF. Cumberland Council will use a mix of competitions for grant funding, procurement, commissioning or delivery through in-house teams.

Investment priorities and funding allocation

After the vesting of Cumberland Council on 1 April 2023, the UKSPF investment plans of Allerdale Borough Council, Carlisle City Council and Copeland Borough Council were brought together into a single investment plan for the new council, with funding of £2,569,325 allocated to Cumberland for 2023/24 and £6,731,633 for 2024/25.

The new investment plan reflects the ambitions, aims and approaches set out in the three original investment plans and the vision and priorities of the Cumberland Council Plan.

The Council also has a REPF allocation with £632,409 available in 2023-24 and £1,897,226 in 2024-25. Only projects in the former Allerdale Borough, Copeland Borough and the rural area of Carlisle City Councils area are eligible for support from the REPF.

Our investment priorities for the UKSPF and REPF in 2023-24 are:

  • Improvements to town centres and high streets
  • Arts, cultural, creative and leisure activities
  • Improvements to cultural, historic and heritage institutions and assets
  • Support local community regeneration initiatives
  • Investment in open markets
  • Support the development and promotion of the visitor economy
  • Impactful voluntary and social action projects
  • Business start-up, growth and innovation
  • Support to access employment
  • Support to help people in employment access education and training
  • Small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas
  • Growing the local social economy and supporting innovation

Local Partnership Group

A Local Partnership Group made up of local stakeholders from strategic organisations across the Cumberland area and wider region was established in 2022 to oversee the development of the investment plans and provide advice on the strategic fit and deliverability of UKSPF and REPF projects during the selection process. 

Projects in 2023/24

Cumberland Council will support selected projects that deliver on the council’s UKSPF and REPF investment priorities.

A call inviting project applications is now open , with final decisions on projects to be supported made at the end of January 2024 by the council’s UKSPF Investment Panel. The High Street Grant scheme does not have a closing date, this will end when all funds have been allocated.

Grant programmes are among the projects to be funded by the council.

The deadline to submit applications for grants schemes is listed within the guidance each grant information.

Grants for improvements to commercial properties within town and city centres across Cumberland are being managed by Cumberland Council. More information on the fund, guidance notes and how to submit applications can be found on the next page of this guide on our building grants page. 

Additional grants schemes are being managed for the council by external partners. Click on the links below to get more information on the schemes, advice and guidance and how to make an application:

Keeping in touch

You can keep up to date with regular news, activity, sounding groups and other events related to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cumberland by checking this webpage, or through joining our UKSPF Mailing List by emailing economic.growth@cumberland.gov.uk