Rural England Prosperity Fund
Please Note: The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is now closed for applications as all the funding has been fully allocated.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is an addendum to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and aims to support activities that specifically address the particular challenges rural areas face.
It succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. Nationally, a total of up to £110 million is available for financial years 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025.
Uttlesford District Council (UDC) have been allocated £813,487.
The overall aim of the REPF Programme is to support those that live and work within the rural economy in the Uttlesford District to take advantage of the opportunities that the area provides to grow and develop to ensure long term sustainability and will be of benefit to the local economy.
This programme will be delivered across the whole of the Uttlesford District through the funding of capital projects for small businesses and existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions. Projects must meet the key investment priorities and the defined strategic objectives.
What can the grants be used for?
REPF funding will be for capital investment only to be spent on lasting assets such as buildings or equipment.
Supporting local business
- Capital grants of between £5,000 - £150,000 will be available to support new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams
- The expectation will be that projects will create additional employment
- Priority will be given to projects that develop the visitor economy, diversification of farming activities and the creation of new rural business units
- Businesses will be able to apply for up to 40% of eligible project costs.
- This is a 2-year scheme and projects will need to be complete, having evidenced spend and claimed funding awarded, by March 2025. Failure to complete a project in this time frame will result in funding being withdrawn.
Communities and Place
- Capital grants of between £1,000 - £15,000 will be available to existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer
- Organisations will be able to apply for the full amount of eligible project costs; however, projects that include match funding will be considered favourably in order to show value for money in spending public money.
- This is a 1-year scheme and projects will need to be complete, having evidenced spend and claimed funding awarded, by March 2024. Failure to complete a project in this time frame will result in funding being withdrawn.
Case studies
Priorities and Objectives
Strategic Priorities | UDC Strategic Objectives |
|---|---|
P1: Supporting rural businesses | SO1: To increase numbers of commercial premises in the district. |
SO2: To support farm diversification enterprises and utilisation of redundant buildings. | |
SO3: To improve digital connectivity to support rural business and local communities. | |
SO4: To increase the numbers of business start-up's especially in the sphere of innovative technology. | |
SO5: To promote and extend the Visitor Economy through improved infrastructure and experiences. | |
P2: Supporting rural communities | SO6: To develop, restore or refurbish local natural, cultural and heritage assets and sites. |
SO7: To improve visitor experience and accessibility of these assets. For example by:
|
Additional requirements for funding projects
- Investments should demonstrate value for money and additionality.
- You should also consider how investments contribute to net zero and nature recovery objectives. These include: the UK's commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050; wider environmental considerations, such as resilience to natural hazards; and the 25 Year Environment Plan commitments.
- To support green growth, think about how projects can work with the natural environment to achieve objectives. At a minimum, you need to consider the project's impact on natural assets and nature.
- UDC will prioritise projects that deliver the greatest economic, environmental, and social benefits.
Outputs and Outcomes
The application process will assess projects on their ability to achieve tangible outputs.
Applicants will be required to provided quantified outputs i.e. "24 jobs created" rather than "we will create jobs" or "yes".
Applicants should review the table below to ensure they can achieve at least one of the fund's output indicators. Full details are available at on GOV.UK.
Output profile 2023-2025
Investment priority | REPF | UDC REPF Objectives | Indicative Activities | Relevant REPF output indicator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Supporting rural businesses | Funding (capital grants) for small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas. | Increase numbers of commercial premises Support farm diversification enterprises Improve Digital Connectivity
| Conversion of redundant farm buildings to non ag use Add value and market products through processing. Adding value to existing capacity of processing and/or manufacturing businesses Food hub Pub is the hub Firewood production and development of supply chains Producing local woodland products | Jobs safeguarded. |
Jobs created. | ||||
Number of businesses supported. | ||||
Number of farm businesses supported | ||||
Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes. | ||||
Number of businesses with improved productivity. | ||||
Supporting rural communities | Funding (capital grants) for existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer | Capital grants to develop, restore or refurbish local natural, cultural and heritage assets and sites. Improving visitor experience and accessibility of these assets. For example by:
| Strengthening our social fabric and fostering a sense of local pride and belonging, through investment in activities that enhance physical, cultural and social ties and amenities. This includes:
| Increased footfall |
Increased visitor numbers | ||||
Increased use of cycleways or paths | ||||
Jobs created | ||||
Improved perception of facilities or amenities | ||||
Increased users of facilities or amenities | ||||
Improved perceived or experienced accessibility |
How to apply
Applications are now closed as all the funding has been fully allocated.
How can you access REPF funding?
Applicants will need to have all relevant permissions and licences in place prior to submitting complete applications.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until grant funding is exhausted.
A decision making panel will assess the submitted grant applications. Please note the grant application submissions deadlines for each panel assessment meeting. These dates may be subject to change.
Application submission deadline | Date of board assessment meeting |
|---|---|
7 July 2023 | 21 July 2023 |
8 September 2023 | 22 September 2023 |
10 November 2023 | 24 November 2023 |
5 January 2024 | 19 January 2024 |
8 March 2024 | 22 March 2024 |
Applications must be submitted by the dates shown above in order to be assessed by the next board assessment meeting. Businesses will be notified within two weeks of the board assessment.
Rural Business Grants
All grant applicants should email ukspf@uttlesford.gov.uk for an application form specifying whether they are applying for grant funding of under or over £50,000.
For grants of over £50,000 applicants will be required to submit an Expression of Interest to confirm eligibility. If this is successful, you will be notified and then required to complete a full application for formal assessment.
Supporting Rural Communities
Cultural, historic and heritage organisations wishing to apply for funding should email ukspf@uttlesford.gov.uk for an application form.
Full guidance for applicants (PDF) [426KB]