Cannock Chase District has been allocated £3,021,807 from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund local projects for 3 years from 2022/2023 onwards. In addition, Staffordshire County Council will receive £4.188,798 from the UK Government’s Multiply programme to support adults to improve their numeracy skills.
The Council and its partners developed a robust Investment Plan which was submitted to UK Government in August 2022. In December 2022, UK Government confirmed its funding of the plan. The Council has a Governance Board that oversees the implementation of the Investment Plan and a Partnership Group which meets to consider progress.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund replaces the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) which supported a range of job creation, innovation and skills programmes.
Investment priorities
The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances. The fund will improve the place people live in, and support individuals and business.
The investment focus on three priorities:
1. Communities and place
Helping to improve community spaces and relationships that creates the conditions for economic growth at local level. These investments aim to strengthen communities, support local pride in place, and activities that enhance physical, cultural and local amenities, like community infrastructure and local spaces and community-led initiatives.
Building resilient, safe and healthy neighbourhoods, investment in quality places through targeted improvements to the built environment and innovative approaches to crime prevention.
Coming soon will be links to our current investments
2. Supporting local business
Supporting local business investment priority will enable places to fund interventions that support local businesses to thrive, innovate and grow.
Creating jobs and boosting communities, investments that build on existing industries and institutions, support for starting and growing businesses.
Promoting networking and collaboration, bringing together businesses and partners to share knowledge, expertise and resources, and stimulate innovation and growth
Increasing private sector investment in growth-enhancing activities, targeted support for SMEs for new-to-firm innovation, productivity-enhancing, energy efficient and low carbon technologies and techniques, and start or grow.
West Midlands SME Grant Programme - This grant programme is for:
- start-up SMEs based in the West Midlands Region (grants of £2,500 to £7,500 are available for Birmingham, Cannock Chase and Solihull based businesses only)
- existing SMEs based in the West Midlands Region (grants of £5,000 to £100,000 are available for Birmingham, Cannock Chase, Solihull, and Shropshire based businesses)
We expect most applications to apply for an average grant of between £10,000 to £20,000, and only in exceptional circumstances will grants of up to £100,000 be awarded. This is to make sure that the limited WMGP budget is given to as many businesses as possible.
Go Digital Accelerator delivered by Staffordshire University
A 16-week fully-funded programme to boost productivity, high-value jobs and innovation for businesses based in the Cannock Chase District. The programme is tailored to the business's needs and offers specialised R&D assistance to help develop new products and services or adopt digital and / or advanced technologies.
For more information visit the Go Digital Accelerator webpage.
Net Zero Pathfinder - delivered by Staffordshire University
A 12-week fully funded programme designed for businesses looking to implement a Net Zero plan aligned with Net Zero commitments in the Cannock Chase Distrct.
For more information visit the Net Zero Pathfinder webpage.
3. People and skills
From 2024-2025 the aim is to invest in initiatives that will reduce the barriers some people face to employment and support them to move towards employment and education. Places can also target funding into skills for local areas to support employment and local growth. UKSPF will be the main source of funding to support employment provision for economically inactive people and for employees who need to improve and upskill. Local areas can tailor the investments to suit local needs and facilitate the join-up of mainstream provision and local services, through the use of keyworker support and community interventions, including engagement with integrated care systems.
Coming soon will be links to our planned programme.
More information
You can find out more about the UKSPF on the government website:
website: UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) - GOV.UK (external link)
For further information contact:- econdev@cannockchasedc.gov.uk
