£110m fund to level up rural communities unveiled

£110m fund to level up rural communities unveiled - Defra

Action on levelling up and boosting rural productivity set out in report published today.

Rural businesses such as farms, wedding venues and pubs will benefit from up to £110 million of funding being allocated today to support countryside communities across England.

The funding will be invested in projects which will boost productivity and create rural job opportunities. These could include farm businesses looking to diversify by opening a farm shop, wedding venue or tourism facilities or improvements to village halls, pubs and other rural hubs for community uses.

Investment will be based on local priorities and support investment in projects such as grants for:

converting farm buildings to other business uses
rural tourism, such as investments in visitor accommodation
capital grants for provision of gigabit-capable digital infrastructure at hubs such as village halls, pubs and post offices for community use
capital grants to develop, restore or refurbish local natural, cultural and heritage assets and sites
creation of new footpaths and cycle paths, particularly in areas of health need, or capital grants to enable people to develop volunteering and social action projects locally

The Rural England Prosperity Fund worth up to £110 million will be delivered by eligible local authorities and give local leaders a greater say in investment than they previously had under EU schemes. It will be in addition to the £2.6 billion allocated via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support levelling up across the UK. The fund will be part of the UKSPF and is a rural top-up for eligible local authorities.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Greg Clark MP said: “This major investment in rural businesses will help us boost the countryside economy and close the rural productivity gap. It’s our mission to spread opportunity across the whole of the UK and this funding will help us do just that.”