UK Shared Prosperity Fund delivery in Cumberland
Council

UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund

Investment in communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda, and a significant component of its support for places across the UK. It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025. It replaces European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

UKSPF delivery in Cumberland Council

The three Councils of Allerdale, Carlisle City and Copeland worked closely to ensure that the priorities of our three investment plans were closely aligned to enable delivery by the new authority, as we formed Cumberland Council from 1 April 2023.

Funding for UKSPF is available for capital and revenue activity for projects that demonstrate alignment and deliverability against the call criteria. Cumberland has been allocated £13,115,256 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This is split into;

• ‘Core’ funding of £10,585,622
• Rural England Prosperity Fund £2,529,634, which is entirely capital in nature with no additional allowance for revenue activity.

In addition

• Multiply funding allocated to Cumbria, then split between Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness is managed by Westmorland and Furness Council.

In April 2022, the UK Government published the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus. The UKSPF will support the UK government’s wider commitment to level up all parts of the UK by delivering on each of the levelling up objectives:

• Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging
• Spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest
• Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost
• Empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency