The South East is set to receive just over £12 million in funding through the Community Renewal Fund, it was announced on Wednesday.
As part of the Levelling Up agenda, a total of £200 million has been promised for UK areas to boost productivity and grow local economies. 23 projects across 7 local authorities in the region have been successful with funding.
Allocations between local authorities are as follows;
- Kent County Council: £6,861,728 for ten projects
- East Sussex County Council: £2,568,549 for five projects
- Portsmouth City Council: £1,591,024 for one project
- Buckinghamshire County Council: £768,244 for two projects
- Medway Council: £604,109 for one project
- Hampshire County Council: £211,861 for one project
- Oxfordshire County Council: £169,033 for one project
The Parliamentary-Under Secretary for Levelling Up, Neil O’Brien announced the projects in a statement on Wednesday.
Funded projects range from skills training for the unemployed through to investment in businesses building pathways to net zero and building back the tourism and hospitality sector.
The Community Renewal Fund will also help local areas prepare for next year’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will see UK-funding match EU money, reaching around £1.5 billion per year.
Whilst we welcome this funding for developing projects across the region, we await further clarity from the government on the strategy behind the levelling up agenda.
A full breakdown of allocations in the South East can be seen below;
- Buckinghamshire Council– Building back better for the Tourism & Hospitality sector in Buckinghamshire (3BTHB)- £728,250
- Buckinghamshire Council– Tool Up mentoring into employment programme- £39,994
- East Sussex County Council– Hastings 2066 – An Augmented Town and its Digital Twin- £648,896
- East Sussex County Council– Investing in high-value and sustainable wine and cultural tourism to inform pan-Sussex growth as part of Global Britain- £719,100
- East Sussex County Council– Minding the Gaps- £558,579
- East Sussex County Council– The VCSE Futureproofing Initiative (Building Community Connections)- £102,102
- East Sussex County Council– The Innovation Masters Programme- £539,872
- Hampshire County Council– Community Engagement for Household and Community Energy Scheme Development in Hampshire- £211,861
- Kent County Council– Breaking Barriers – Inclusive Employability- £446,697
- Kent County Council– Bridge the Gap- £572,850
- Kent County Council– Canterbury and Folkestone and Hythe Skills Renewal- £1,018,641
- Kent County Council– Diversity House: Centre for Innovation and Development- £432,104
- Kent County Council– Employment and Support Hub – Canterbury and Thanet- £653,367
- Kent County Council– Growing Green: A net-zero innovation pathway for micro and SME businesses £523, 384
- Kent County Council– Kent and Medway Partnership for Enterprise, Food and Health- £539,288
- Kent County Council– Net Zero Pathway for Change- £638,115
- Kent County Council– Swale and Ashford Skills Renewal- £1,018,641
- Kent County Council– Thanet and Dover Skills Renewal- £1,018,641
- Medway Council– Medway Together- £604,109
- Oxfordshire County Council– The Energy Solutions Oxfordshire Project (The ESOx Project)- £169,033
- Portsmouth City Council– Decarbonisation skills support scheme- £330,990
- Portsmouth City Council– Enabling XR Enterprise (eXRe): Creating skills, boosting Communities and benefitting Visitor and Cultural Economy.- £628,139
- Portsmouth City Council– Portsmouth Start and Grow (working title)- £631,885
