What is Levelling Up and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund?

In February 2022 the government published its Levelling Up White Paper which aims to ‘level up’ the UK by 2030 through a missions-based approach.  These 12 ‘missions’ are medium-term targeted, measurable and time-bound objectives covering four broad areas from which a programme of change can be developed, recognising the need to focus on both economic and social decision-making and the intrinsic links between health, education and skills and the wider economy.  From a VCSE sector perspective the most relevant of these four areas are restoring a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost; and, empowering local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency.   

The White Paper also introduces the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which replaces the European Structural and Investment Funding (ESIF).  The USKPF will focus on communities and place, people and skills, and local business providing new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation (click here to see UKSPF allocation per district).  Lead local authorities will be responsible for creating local plans with a broad range of stakeholders including charities (to be submitted by 1st August 2022) and will have flexibility over how they deliver UKSPF choosing whether or not to use grant funding, procurement, commissioning or in-house teams.  

The following articles and information may also be of interest; 

 

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