Rural businesses to share in £5.4m fund

A £5.4m fund to support the rural communities of North Yorkshire is on course to win approval next week.

Members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive will meet on Tuesday 4 July, when they will be asked to accept the cash from the Rural England Prosperity Fund, which aims to support local businesses, communities and place.

The scheme, which was set up to follow last year’s launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, provides 100% funding for rural communities.

It received a £5.4m offer for the next two years after submitting a Rural England Prosperity Fund Investment Plan. This is the largest amount awarded to any local authority in the country.

The council says it intends to split the allocation in two – using £2.7m to support local businesses and a further £2.7m for communities and places.

It would set up a £1.5m grant schemes for micro and small businesses, use a £600,000 scheme to help grow the social economy and support innovation, and allocate £600,000 to develop and promote the visitor economy.

There would also be £467,000 in grant aid for community groups, £400,000 to improve green spaces, £333,000 for the local heritage offer, £333,000 for arts, culture and heritage activities, £717,000 to boost recycling, and £467,000 for volunteering and social action projects.

Council leader, Councillor Carl Les, said: “This funding represents a significant opportunity for our rural communities. It is the largest amount allocated to any council in the country as part of the Government’s overall Levelling Up programme.

“The programme’s aspirations to increase pride in their local town centres and engage more with culture and community strongly align with our ambitions along with our plans for sustainable economic growth and support for local area improvements.”