Prosperity Funds
Community Infrastructure Fund open for bids
The Community Infrastructure Fund, totalling £226,000 and offering capital grants up to £20,000 to community projects, is live on the council’s Westhive crowdfunding platform. The fund is open to established community groups from one of the following forms:
- Community Interest Companies
- Social Enterprises
- Registered charities
- Public bodies, such as Parish Councils where they are delivering or hosting community projects (mainstream expenses such as salaries, building maintenance or replacement street furniture will not be supported)
- Constituted bodies
We are particularly looking for projects that amongst other things:
- Provide a long term sustainable benefit to the local community or area.
- Enhance community spaces (including green spaces) so they could be: More flexible; Able to host extra services; More resilient; More useable by the wider community as a whole
- Address climate change and nature recovery
The Community Infrastructure Fund is being delivered through our Westhive crowdfunding platform. Please see https://www.spacehive.com/movement/westhive for full details.
Small Business Grant Scheme
The Small Business Grant Scheme offers capital grants of £5,000 to small businesses employing fewer than 10 full time equivalent (FTE) people. The scheme includes an online business advice session as well as the capital grant. Successful applicants must commit to both parts of the scheme – they must attend the advice session to receive the grant.
Applications to the scheme are currently closed as the available grants for this financial year are fully subscribed. The scheme will reopen in April 2024. For further updates sign up to the Business Matters newsletter.
About the Prosperity Funds
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) are part of the government’s Levelling Up agenda. The primary goal of the funds is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK through the support of high-quality skills training, improving pay, supporting employment and productivity growth.
West Oxfordshire District Council has been allocated £1,716,216 of funding, with set allocations for each of the three years as set out below.
|
|
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
UKSPF |
£70,467 |
£140,935 |
£788,598 |
|
REPF |
- |
£180,000 |
£536,216 |
While the funds are to be used to address local needs and issues, the Government published clearly defined criteria that set the context. The funds can be used for three broad themes (known as ‘Investment Priorities’):
- Communities & Place
- Supporting Local Business
- People & Skills (available in 2024/25 only)
The Council submitted a Local Investment Plan for both funds setting out our local priorities. These priorities are defined by selecting from a list of ‘Interventions’ or project themes and setting out the outputs to be delivered under each.
Our Investment Plan was approved in January 2023 and is summarised here:
WODC Investment Plan Summary 2023 - pdf - 99 Kb
Rural services study
The council commissioned the Plunkett Foundation to look at the state of rural services in the district and make recommendations on how we can best address any issues. We are using the report’s findings to help us focus our UKSPF programme. The report is available to download below.
Market towns study
The council commissioned Heartflood to undertake a study of West Oxfordshire’s market towns to help identify priority issues for UKSPF funding. The report recommended the formation of town partnerships as a priority action with key issues to be addressed including signage and wayfinding, promotion including events and support for small businesses.
The report is available to download below.
Review of weekly markets
The council commissioned Wild Property Consultants to undertake a review of the weekly markets in Witney, Chipping Norton and Carterton. The review recommended approaches the council can take to make the markets more attractive, vibrant and use them to attract more visitors into the town centres.
While not funded by or directly associated with the UKSPF work, the Review of Markets sits alongside the Market Towns Study and the recommendations will help inform UKSPF projects in the town centres.
The report is available to download below.
For further information on UKSPF, please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus