Funding for projects improving the lives of residents in communities all over Westmorland and Furness is to be extended for a further year.
In October 2023, it was agreed that projects would share £8.1 million from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), allocated by Westmorland and Furness Council, which was to be used by the end of March 2025.
Ten funding calls for schemes aimed at improving community and place, supporting local business, and people and skills were launched and the council's Investment Board agreed on the successful projects. Just over £6 million was available for Westmorland and Furness as a whole from the UKSPF for 2023-25, with £2.1 million from the REPF targeted at the former South Lakeland and Eden Localities.
In October last year the Government confirmed that UKSPF would be extended for one year at a reduced level, covering April 2025 to March 2026.
Westmorland and Furness Council was allocated funding of £2,719,672 from the UKSPF for 2025/26, made up of £502,137 capital and £2,217,534 revenue.
The council's UKSPF investment board agreed earlier this year to continue funding existing projects, which had already been shown to meet UKSPF objectives and demonstrate value for money, to minimise disruption.
The council's priorities for projects supported by UKSPF were:
- Communities and Place (helping boost third sector growth and sustainability; addressing the cost-of-living crisis; supporting tourism, arts, culture and heritage and investments to grow the visitor offer);
- Supporting Local Business (boosting business growth, profitability and decarbonisation, as well as specialist support to grow and innovate within the social enterprise sector as well as capital grants for small and micro rural businesses);
- People and Skills (focussing on young people, addressing worklessness and supporting those furthest from the labour market to return to employment, as well as a targeted programme to link those seeking work with vacancies in the visitor economy).
Councillor Virginia Taylor, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for Sustainable Communities and Localities, said: "Much good has been done by projects funded by UKSPF in all parts of Westmorland and Furness in recent years and this extra funding in this coming transition year, albeit reduced, will ensure continuity and allow more people and businesses to be supported.
"The projects funded are being led by organisations with local knowledge and expertise and they are ideally placed to continue to make Westmorland and Furness a great place to live, work and thrive."
Government notified the council earlier this month that Westmorland and Furness’s REPF allocation for 2025/26 would be £726,439. Officers are working on options for how that funding could be used.
UKSPF grants for 2025/26
Business support, start-up and growth
Enterprising Cumbria – Cumbria Accelerator Westmorland & Furness: Up to £247,933 for a fully integrated business support service for aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas and innovations alongside the provision of advice and grants to existing businesses to identify opportunities to expand, grow and improve productivity and profits.
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce – Green & Rural Business Grants and Support: Up to £450,035 towards a project providing support through advice and grants to rural micro and small businesses and businesses looking to become greener and decarbonise.
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership and Westmorland and Furness Council – A Social Enterprise Zone for Westmorland and Furness: Up to £182,645 for a project designed to create the best possible conditions for new social enterprises and community businesses to form and for the existing sector to innovate and grow by providing a full wrap-around and bespoke service of business advice and guidance and grants for start-up costs, investment in new products and services, and to improve existing business premises.
Support to access employment
Inspira – The Key: Up to £341,303 towards the continuation of an established employability programme for economically inactive adults, expanding the target group to include young people aged 16-25 who are not engaged in education, employment, or training.
Cumbria Tourism – Welcome to Work in the Visitor Economy: Up to £63,024 for a project to address labour shortages in the visitor economy by linking people looking for work with tourism businesses.
Employability Support for Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Up to £40,714 for a Westmorland and Furness Council project to improve community cohesion and integration of asylum seekers and refugees by providing English language skills provision to help them progress to employment/volunteering, further learning, integrate into communities, and understand cultural differences.
Skills
Multiply: Up to £333,333 for a selection of free courses to help adults improve their maths skills. This can help people in their everyday life, from managing finances, getting a new job or studying for further qualifications. The council has commissioned 12 partners to deliver Multiply across Cumbria. These include further education colleges, independent training providers, charities and employability support organisations.
PHX Training – Addressing Barriers to Accessing Education and Training: Up to £121,897 for tailored support to people in work to address barriers to accessing education and training courses. PHX’s employer engagement officers, tutors and key workers will work with employers and learners to deliver bespoke support, identifying and addressing the needs and barriers to progress within employment.
Centre for Leadership Performance – First Line Manager: Up to £24,243 for a programme aiming to equip new managers in Westmorland and Furness with the toolkit, training and support they need to improve motivation, engagement, employee retention and productivity.
Arts, Heritage and Culture
Thrive with Arts, Heritage and Culture: £207,741 to promote, administer and deliver grant funding to existing smaller cultural, heritage and creative organisations in Westmorland and Furness.
Events & Festivals grant programme: £100,000 for a Westmorland and Furness Council project to deliver grants to improve events and festivals.
Cumbria Tourism – Let’s Go Culture in Westmorland and Furness: Up to £91,994 to deliver a high profile coordinated multi-media promotional campaign that will help to promote the arts, heritage, culture, and creative activities sector. This recognises they are a key driver in encouraging national and international tourists to visit the area, boosting economic activity.
Impactful Volunteering and Social Action Projects
Groundwork – Green Doctor: Up to £79,339 for a project to tackle fuel poverty and offer support with the cost-of-living crisis, including trained energy advisors specialising in helping the most vulnerable save energy, money and maximise their incomes and energy advice engagement in community settings.
Cumbria CVS – This is Us: Up to £133,204 for a collaborative, cross sector project, between Cumbria CVS, the voluntary sector, statutory sectors and businesses to deliver a package of increased social action and impactful volunteering, delivered by recruiting Development and Volunteering Officers.
Brathay Trust – Elevate: Up to £46,462 to continue a programme designed to support young people who are becoming disaffected or disengaged from education; failing to attend school and at risk of – or subject to – exclusion.
Inclusive Sports Facilities
Active Cumbria – Improving Assets and Increasing Participation in Sport: Up to £103,057 towards providing capital support to clubs and other sports organisations to improve the infrastructure of sports facilities and revenue support to organisations to increase the number of sporting tournaments, events, festivals and activities taking place.
Support for Active Travel
National Trust – Fix the Fells: Up to £34,725 towards restoring the eroded footpath at Stythwaite Steps to Easedale Tarn, Grasmere.