Government unveils £110m funding pot for rural development
Rural businesses such as farms, wedding venues and pubs are to get a slice of up to £110m of funding being allocated today to support countryside communities across England.
The funding will be invested in projects that boost productivity and create rural job opportunities. These could include farm businesses looking to diversify by opening a farm shop, wedding venue or tourism facilities or improvements to village halls, pubs and other rural hubs for community uses.
The £110m Rural England Prosperity Fund is in addition to the £2.6bn allocated via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support levelling up across the UK. The fund will be part of the UKSPF and is a rural top-up for eligible local authorities.
Rural businesses such as farms, wedding venues and pubs are to get a slice of up to £110m of funding being allocated today to support countryside communities across England.
The funding will be invested in projects that boost productivity and create rural job opportunities. These could include farm businesses looking to diversify by opening a farm shop, wedding venue or tourism facilities or improvements to village halls, pubs and other rural hubs for community uses.
The £110m Rural England Prosperity Fund is in addition to the £2.6bn allocated via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support levelling up across the UK. The fund will be part of the UKSPF and is a rural top-up for eligible local authorities.
Secretary of state for levelling up, Greg Clark said: “This major investment in rural businesses will help us boost the countryside economy and close the rural productivity gap. It’s our mission to spread opportunity across the whole of the UK and this funding will help us do just that.
Lord Benyon, minister for rural affairs, added: “We are addressing the rural productivity gap, levelling-up opportunities and outcomes, and looking after the rural areas and countryside that so many of us are proud to call home. The Rural England Prosperity Fund, worth up to £110m, recognises the unique strengths and challenges of rural communities, and will support them to invest and grow their economies in line with local priorities.”
The Delivering for Rural England report, published today, describes how rural interests will be at the heart of the government’s approach to levelling up to ensure the 12 levelling-up missions deliver for these communities.
The report sets out how the government is working to close the productivity gap for rural areas, which has fallen from 90% of the England average in 2001 to 83% in 2019.
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews
Photo: Global Warming Images/Shutterstock
