Last week I attended an event at The Bridge Skills Hub in Worksop to celebrate projects across the district which have been supported by the £3.4 million we secured from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
It was good to hear from community groups, volunteers and businesses about the positive impact the investment has had on providing an uplift in skills, cultural opportunities, community engagement, and business growth.
We have now secured £1.3 million of UKSPF monies for the year ahead and I thought I would focus this week on how residents and businesses can benefit from this, through the three priorities of Communities and Place, Support for Local Businesses and People and Skills.
Several grants are already open for applications, including support for community groups and businesses in the latest Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), in which a share of £214k is now available.
This provides an opportunity to improve facilities for residents while offering smaller businesses the chance to grow and expand. The deadline for applications for this funding is 12noon on Wednesday 25th June.
We are also supporting cultural and creative projects through the latest Arts and Heritage Grant programme, with bids already submitted for a share of just over £65k. Meanwhile £157k of funding is being administered by Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service through the Community and Voluntary grant programme, which is currently open for applications at: www.bcvs.org.uk/bassetlaw-community-grants.
Several different grants worth a total of £265k are now available to support businesses, including growth grants, high street grants, enterprise grants and refit grants. These aim to support local businesses at all stages of development from starting up, to growing and innovating.
Meanwhile, we are also offering small and medium sized businesses the chance to improve their environmental credentials and cut their carbon footprint. Applications are now open to apply for a share of £80k decarbonisation funding, which can be used to invest in low carbon technologies. Businesses have until 12noon on 21st July 2025 to get their applications in.
We are excited about the opportunities that are being created, and I look forward to being able to share with you over the coming months some of the fantastic projects the UKSPF money has helped to support.
To find out more about UKSPF and the latest grants available visit: www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/business-advice/the-uk-shared-prosperity-fund-ukspf/
Last Updated on Friday, June 13, 2025