The government has today (Friday, April 7) announced £110 million in funding under the Rural England Prosperity Fund with the aim of supporting rural communities and businesses.
Eligible local authorities in England will receive the funding, which they can invest in initiatives such as farm diversification, projects to boost rural tourism, and community infrastructure projects including electric vehicle charging stations.
The funding will also help people start up local businesses to push forward growth and create employment opportunities for rural areas, the government said.
The confirmed allocations are spread across the country, including over £5 million for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; £3 million for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; over £3 million for North of Tyne; over £2.5 million for West Yorkshire; £2.5 million for Shropshire; and almost £1 million for Cheshire East.
The UK government said the Rural England Prosperity Fund is posing as a “rural top-up” to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is £2.6 billion of funding to support levelling up across the UK.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “Driving investment in rural areas is a vital part of our vision for levelling up the country.
“The new Rural Prosperity Fund replaces the bureaucratic EU funding system – allowing us to work closely with local leaders to direct funding where it is most needed to close the rural productivity gap, create job opportunities and protect the English countryside.
“This confirmed spending will allow local authorities to deliver on their plans to level up businesses and communities in rural areas from today, in line with their residents’ priorities.”
Country Land and Business President Mark Tufnell said: “The rural economy is 19% less productive than the national average, but reducing this gap could add up to £43 billion to the economy.
“This funding is an important step in unlocking the vast potential of rural businesses, and will give startups as well as existing enterprises the support they need to grow.
“We strongly encourage local authorities to work closely with rural entrepreneurs to maximise the opportunities the Rural England Prosperity Fund presents, identifying every possible opportunity to generate economic growth – creating good jobs and strengthening our communities in the process.”
