UK Shared Prosperity Fund

What is the fund about?

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, please see the UKSPF prospectus.

Background

Southend has received £1.3 million for core UKSPF funding. We have already engaged with a wide range of local partners to write our investment plan in which we set out the local aims for UKSPF funding. In the future, we are responsible for:

• sending out the call for applications
• assessing applications
• paying grants to successful applicants
• managing and monitoring successful projects

What type of projects are we looking for?

All projects must align with the UKSPF prospectus. Projects must also fall under at least one of our local priorities which are:

• communities and place: impactful volunteering and/or social action projects
• supporting local business: strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems

We are looking for project bids between £15,000 and £60,000.

In year 1, 90% of available funding through the UKSPF is revenue funding, while in year 2 this is 87%. Therefore, bids should apply for predominantly, or exclusively, revenue funding.

The government has decided that ‘people and skills’ projects will only be able to apply in 2024/2025. Anyone looking to fund people and skills projects should look to apply during the next open call (autumn 2023).

Evidence

Applicants will need to provide evidence which demonstrates how their projects will deliver in line with the prospectus and local priorities. While the best placed applicants will conduct their own more extensive research, the following websites may have useful data and offer a useful starting point:

• Southend Insights- Southend-on-Sea City Council
• Local statistics - Office for National Statistics
• Data - Centre for Cities
• Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-22
• Ambition Southend: Skills Strategy
• Ambition Southend: Evidence Base
• Joint strategic Needs Assessment: Southend-on-Sea City Council

How will bids be assessed?

We will send out our assessment criteria with the application document, on request.

Application guidance

We hosted an applicant workshop on 24 November, providing an overview of the fund and guidance regarding application and assessment. A retrospective recording of the workshop is available. The powerpoint is also available on request.

We also have a guidance document for applicants which will be emailed out with the application document, on request.

Should applicants require any additional guidance on applications, please do not hesitate to contact us at ukspf@southend.gov.uk

Submitting a bid

First drafts must be submitted by 11.59pm of the 6th January, where feedback will be returned no later than 13th January. Final applications must then be submitted by 11.59pm of 20th January.

All bids must be submitted using the Southend UKSPF application form. To receive the application form and supplementary documents, please email ukspf@southend.gov.uk

Bids must be submitted to Southend-on-Sea City Council by email - ukspf@southend.gov.uk

Please note

All of this information may be subject to change if we receive any further government guidance.

Please contact us at ukspf@southend.gov.uk with any enquiries, questions, or for further information.