Following the recent announcement that Fylde Council has been granted its full UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation of £2.6m, Fylde Councillors at the Monday 6 February 2023 Council meeting gave the go-ahead to a programme packed with projects being developed for roll out over a 26-month period to March 2025.
The first projects to be delivered in line with the Government approved UKSPF Investment Plan sit under the ‘Communities and Place’ Objective. This will see Fylde hold its first spectacular Fylde Ice Festival in Lytham on Saturday 11 February, with Lytham also recently benefiting from a new lighting scheme.
Under the ‘Supporting Local Business’ Objective, the Council is developing some fantastic new partnerships with experienced and well-established business support providers who will be offering dedicated advice and support services to Fylde businesses. One of the first to be rolled out will be specialist support to Fylde’s Aerospace, Automotive and Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing sectors, delivered by the North West Aerospace Alliance, who will bring their expert knowledge to further energise these vital contributors to the local economy.
More announcements will be made shortly that will see further support becoming available to assist individual businesses in working towards Net Zero and in developing Decarbonisation Plans to reduce their carbon footprint and save money. Fylde Council are proud to be working with the Lancashire BOOST business support programme delivered by Lancashire County Council – more details on this to follow in the coming weeks.
The third UKSPF Objective is ‘People and Skills’. Fylde Council will be working with AFC Fylde Community Foundation to deliver support to disengaged young people in Fylde by providing a range of mentoring, training, and assistance in preparing for work opportunities. AFC Fylde Community Foundation already work closely with Job Centre Plus, and this new UKSPF funded project will further enhance this partnership’s potential for empowering young people.
Cllr Karen Buckley, Leader of Fylde Council, said: “This programme contains a wealth of exciting plans for investment across the Borough. We are eager to begin implementing our array of projects to level up Fylde’s economy and communities, based on the Investment Plan developed with our partners from local industry, education and voluntary organisations.”
To read more about Fylde Council’s UKSPF programme, including the approved Investment Plan, visit the Fylde Council website.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus
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