West Oxfordshire to receive £1,000,000 from UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The funding will be in place for three years and addresses the key themes of Communities and Place, Local Business and People and Skills.

Cabinet member for Economic Development, Councillor Duncan Enright said, “Local people are at the heart of what we do and we want to use this funding to support people and businesses to grow and improve the opportunities available to them.

“This is a great opportunity for us to be able to shape the district we want, focusing on the needs of businesses which will have a positive impact on the wider economy and communities.

“The first year includes feasibility studies which will ensure we design schemes for years two and three that use the funds and address the most pressing issues effectively.”

The UKSPF provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund.

The projects that will be funded in year one are:

• Biodiversity Toolkit to help parish councils and other organisations manage their land  
• Deerpark South Access Project to install paths and bridges so people can access the land
• Carterton Strategic Plan identifying how to deliver the town’s priorities
• Market Towns feasibility study 
• Rural Services feasibility study 

The proposal for year two is to focus on work that supports rural services to make sure people can access what they need.  Town centres and markets will also be prioritised to be vibrant and attractive service centres for residents and visitors.

Year three is likely to address both skills training and business support.

The fund can be used flexibly to support across the three investment priorities, including grants to public or private organisations, commissioning third party organisations, procurement of service provision and loans.

You can find out more about the funding and the projects it will support at www.westoxon.gov.uk/SPF