Rural investment in county will get £2.5 million Government funding
Shropshire is to get £2.5 million of funding to help investment in rural areas.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund is a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which saw Shropshire receive £12.6 million and Telford and Wrekin £6.8 million in April last year.
The new money - £110 million nation wide - is, the government says, being provided to local authorities across the country to help support local businesses and community organisations, invest in farming, support arts and culture, boost rural tourism and improve community infrastructure projects.
Shropshire is one of eight authorities across the county to have won funding, which will be handed out between 2023 and 2025.
Wrekin MP, Mark Pritchard, welcomed news that Shropshire will receive £2,589,503 to expand the rural economy.
He said: "“With the right investment and support, there is huge potential to create jobs and grow the economy in rural England.
“That is why I welcome the Government’s new investment in Shropshire to support local businesses looking to start up or expand."
The confirmed allocations including Shropshire are spread right across the country, including over £5 million for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, £3m for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, over £3 million for North of Tyne, over £2.5 million for West Yorkshire, and almost £1 million for Cheshire East.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: "Driving investment in rural areas is a vital part of our vision for levelling up the country allowing us to work closely with local leaders to direct funding where it is most needed to close the rural productivity gap, create job opportunities and protect the English countryside.
"This confirmed spending will allow local authorities to deliver on their plans to level up businesses and communities in rural areas from today, in line with their residents’ priorities."
Country Land and Business President Mark Tufnell said:
“The rural economy is 19 per cent less productive than the national average, but reducing this gap could add up to £43 billion to the economy. This funding is an important step in unlocking the vast potential of rural businesses, and will give startups as well as existing enterprises the support they need to grow.
"We strongly encourage Local Authorities to work closely with rural entrepreneurs to maximise the opportunities the Rural England Prosperity Fund presents, identifying every possible opportunity to generate economic growth – creating good jobs and strengthening our communities in the process."
Across rural England, the money will be spent on two key areas: Communities and place, projects to improve community facilities such as green spaces and boost access to arts and culture to grow local tourism economies; Supporting local business, projects to support agricultural businesses looking to expand their remit, and rural businesses looking to launch or grow their products and services.
