Latest news with #UKSPF
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cumberland Council extends shop front grants programme
Cumberland Council has announced additional funding to support high street regeneration and wider business growth. With funded from British taxpayers through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), the money has allowed the council to extend their shop front grants programme, which helps improve the front of commercial properties in town and city centres across the region. Councillor Mark Fryer, leader of Cumberland Council, said: "The previous grants have proved to be a great success, and we urge businesses to apply for the funding. "If you have a commercial high street or town centre property which would benefit from a new look and meets the call criteria, please do get in touch. "More information on the fund, guidance notes and how to submit applications is available on our website." An additional £105,000 has been allocated for 2025-26, marking the third consecutive year of capital funding for the scheme. To date, the programme has supported upgrades to more than 100 premises and returned 11 empty units to active use. Past recipients include 16 King Street in Whitehaven and 121 Senhouse Street in Maryport. In addition to the shop front scheme, the council is working with Cumbria Business Growth Hub and Enterprising Cumbria to deliver wider business support across the region. Cumbria Business Growth Hub has been awarded £200,000 from UKSPF and £400,000 from REPF to provide grants and advice to small, micro, and medium-sized businesses. Capital grants are available for equipment, productivity improvements, premises upgrades, tourism heritage projects, and farm diversification. Revenue funding will offer vouchers for specialist consultants, as well as advice and access to workshops and programmes. Agricultural businesses will also benefit from workshops delivered in partnership with the Farmers Network. A further £200,000 in revenue funding will enable Enterprising Cumbria to expand its Accelerator programme across the region. This programme offers support for new and existing businesses, one-to-one advice for high-growth potential businesses, and pre-start support for individuals exploring business ideas, including potential financial assistance. For details on the shop front grants, visit Businesses interested in Cumbria Business Growth Hub support can email info@ For information on the Accelerator programme, contact
STV News
24-04-2025
- Business
- STV News
Council hopeful £2.7m boost will fund 'vital projects'
Glasgow's city council leader is hopeful that the local authority will get more funding for vital projects after securing a minimum of £2.7m from the UK Government. Councillor Susan Aitken advised members of the city administration committee (CAC) on Thursday morning she was confident that the budget allocated from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) would lead to more investments for projects such as the Lighthouse and Kelvinhall. In January, it was agreed that out of the £2.7m for Glasgow to invest in capital programmes, £150,000 should be used to support businesses through the Green Business Support Grant. During the meeting on Thursday, members agreed that £2m of the funding would help repair the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Lighthouse sandstone building. The A-listed building which is owned by the council, was initially constructed in 1895 as a warehouse for the Glasgow Herald. It was later transformed into The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design, and the city, with its launch in 1999 including a permanent Mackintosh exhibition but, in recent years, particularly post-COVID, it has largely fallen out of productive use. In February 2025, the council approved a lease to Sustainable Ventures, an organisation aiming to turn the building into a Net Zero Innovation Hub for start up firms working on climate technology. Meanwhile the remaining £611,060 will be used to continue improvements on Kelvinhall which has already benefited from the creation of a 'high-end' television studio. A substantial portion of the empty floorspace remains available at the venue with the council receiving expressions of interest from commercial operators across multiple sectors to use this space. Councillor Bill Butler said that the Labour group welcomed the two funding options but asked if any others were taken into consideration. Council leader Susan Aitken said: 'One of the things that is really clear about both of these investments is that they are not investments that will just stop once that money has been spent. 'There are very clear pathways with both of them and I think particularly with the Lighthouse and identified partners whereby the investment that we put in will lead to significantly more investment. 'This will lead towards not just a productive use but a highly valuable and beneficial use of both of these buildings. 'That is something we have been struggling to find with The Lighthouse for a very long time particularly post covid but really before that. 'The Lighthouse has never quite found the place that it needs to have. This partner has a plan which shows a very clear pathway to multiple benefits following on from this investment from UKSPF. 'In terms of Kelvinhall we have already seen the impact of the investment and the work that has been undertaken there. It is such a huge building that there are even more opportunities to do more with Kelvinhall.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brexit training fund problems leave charities 'struggling'
A number of charities in Northern Ireland have said they face making layoffs due to problems with UK government funding. They say they now have to find money up front to pay for training work under the Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The UKSPF replaced the European Union's European Social Fund (ESF) in March 2023, which came to an end in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. The chief executive of East Belfast Mission, Rev Andrew Irvine, told BBC News NI that charities are "struggling" and the new funding arrangement "beggars belief". The UKSPF provides funding to organisations in Northern Ireland for "levelling up" their communities and helping people find employment through training. East Belfast Mission is one of five groups which run the Belfast Works project. Belfast Works offers free training for jobs including barbering, classroom assistants, fitness instructors, catering, healthcare, and security guards. But Rev Irvine said that East Belfast Mission is expected to find £180,000 a quarter "out of nowhere" to fund the training and then "wait for the government to pay us". "If we can't do that then this community - in which 67% of those of working age are currently not in work - lose this service, and East Belfast Mission needs to make 17 people redundant and the partnership needs to make 96 people redundant," he added. He said that overall Belfast Works had more than 100 staff and worked with 400 people a month to help them get into work. Eight staff members have already been made redundant, he added. The UKSPF website said it would pay delivery organisations "in Northern Ireland in advance, on a six monthly cycle". But Rev Andrew Irvine said that was not happening and that charities were having to "give the government free finance". "They're saying we're not going to fund you until the end of each quarter, so for Belfast Works that means five local community organisations trying to finance the government to the tune of a million pounds a quarter," he said. GEMS Northern Ireland is also part of Belfast Works, and trains people for a range of careers, as well as running classes in English and numeracy. It's chief executive, Susan Russam, told BBC News NI that they had 18 staff and had helped train thousands of people through the Belfast Works project. "Our salary bill for Belfast Works Connect, which is due to be paid next week, is just short of £50,000," she said. "We can find that in April, but we aren't going to be able to find that in May as well. "I think that's a little bit unconscionable to expect a small charity like ours, who were already working supporting this project and making a real difference to communities and lives, to have to struggle to actually pay our wages." In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would "work closely with these UKSPF-funded projects to ensure that they continue to receive funding on schedule, so they can keep supporting the most vulnerable in society". "Our payment schedule remains the same as in previous years," MHCLG added. However an email from MHCLG, seen by BBC News NI, acknowledged "cashflow for your organisation and partners may present challenges." Mohammad Alhamwi and Olena Karpenko are among students taking a customer service course at GEMS. Mohammad, who is originally from Syria, said the course was "really valuable". "I'm looking to develop myself as much as I can," he said. "The UK is about having a good career, certificates, lots of skills." Olena Karpenko came to Northern Ireland from Ukraine, where she was a teacher. "For me, it's very important - new information, new experience, experienced teachers, supportive people," she said. "I'm very happy to be here, it's helped me a lot." Rev Irvine said the situation clashed with the government's aspiration to get people back to work. "It absolutely flies in the face of the chancellor's position and it actually really, really irritates me when I see the chancellor saying we're going to reduce the welfare payments, but the solution is to get people into work - and then this, this is how they're going about getting people into work?," he said. "If this idea is to get people out of poverty by getting them into work, then let's fund this properly and stop behaving like this with the delivery partners." Funding for NI charities 'switched off overnight' 'Bleak time until EU funds are replaced'
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Brexit training fund problems leave Northern Ireland charities 'struggling'
A number of charities in Northern Ireland have said they face making layoffs due to problems with UK government say they now have to find money up front to pay for training work under the Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).The UKSPF replaced the European Union's European Social Fund (ESF) in March 2023, which came to an end in Northern Ireland as a result of chief executive of East Belfast Mission, Rev Andrew Irvine, told BBC News NI that charities are "struggling" and the new funding arrangement "beggars belief". The UKSPF provides funding to organisations in Northern Ireland for "levelling up" their communities and helping people find employment through Belfast Mission is one of five groups which run the Belfast Works Works offers free training for jobs including barbering, classroom assistants, fitness instructors, catering, healthcare, and security Rev Irvine said that East Belfast Mission is expected to find £180,000 a quarter "out of nowhere" to fund the training and then "wait for the government to pay us". "If we can't do that then this community - in which 67% of those of working age are currently not in work - lose this service, and East Belfast Mission needs to make 17 people redundant and the partnership needs to make 96 people redundant," he said that overall Belfast Works had more than 100 staff and worked with 400 people a month to help them get into staff members have already been made redundant, he added. 'Free finance' The UKSPF website said it would pay delivery organisations "in Northern Ireland in advance, on a six monthly cycle".But Rev Andrew Irvine said that was not happening and that charities were having to "give the government free finance"."They're saying we're not going to fund you until the end of each quarter, so for Belfast Works that means five local community organisations trying to finance the government to the tune of a million pounds a quarter," he said. GEMS Northern Ireland is also part of Belfast Works, and trains people for a range of careers, as well as running classes in English and chief executive, Susan Russam, told BBC News NI that they had 18 staff and had helped train thousands of people through the Belfast Works project."Our salary bill for Belfast Works Connect, which is due to be paid next week, is just short of £50,000," she said."We can find that in April, but we aren't going to be able to find that in May as well."I think that's a little bit unconscionable to expect a small charity like ours, who were already working supporting this project and making a real difference to communities and lives, to have to struggle to actually pay our wages." Cashflow 'challenges' In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would "work closely with these UKSPF-funded projects to ensure that they continue to receive funding on schedule, so they can keep supporting the most vulnerable in society"."Our payment schedule remains the same as in previous years," MHCLG an email from MHCLG, seen by BBC News NI, acknowledged "cashflow for your organisation and partners may present challenges." Mohammad Alhamwi and Olena Karpenko are among students taking a customer service course at who is originally from Syria, said the course was "really valuable"."I'm looking to develop myself as much as I can," he said."The UK is about having a good career, certificates, lots of skills." Olena Karpenko came to Northern Ireland from Ukraine, where she was a teacher."For me, it's very important - new information, new experience, experienced teachers, supportive people," she said."I'm very happy to be here, it's helped me a lot." Rev Irvine said the situation clashed with the government's aspiration to get people back to work."It absolutely flies in the face of the chancellor's position and it actually really, really irritates me when I see the chancellor saying we're going to reduce the welfare payments, but the solution is to get people into work - and then this, this is how they're going about getting people into work?," he said."If this idea is to get people out of poverty by getting them into work, then let's fund this properly and stop behaving like this with the delivery partners."
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Boston plans street parties for WW2 anniversaries
Street parties are to be held in Boston to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan (VJ) Borough Council has received £10,000 in funding from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support events in the town. The money will be used to buy flags for schoolchildren, bunting and a large flag for each parish authority said the events would provide an opportunity for people to come together, listen to stories, and reflect on the significance of the Allied victory. VE Day was celebrated on 8 May 1945 when Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an announcement on the radio the war in Europe had ended, after Germany's surrender the day ferocious fighting continued in the Pacific between the Allies and Japan until 15 August when the allies celebrated VJ Day, although formal surrender documents were not signed until 2 government has announced a four-day celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day from Bank Holiday Monday 5 May to 8 May. National events include a flypast, a concert and a service at Westminster year's anniversaries have been billed as the last significant milestones that surviving WW2 veterans will be able to take part in Broughton, deputy leader of Boston Borough Council, said: "I look forward to seeing our town centre and local parishes decorated in brand new, vibrant bunting for the celebration of VE Day and VJ Day 80th anniversaries."We are very grateful to UKSPF, as this funding allows us to create a community atmosphere that honours the sacrifices of the wartime generation and brings people together in celebration."The government says the UKSPF is a "central pillar" of its Levelling Up agenda, providing £2.6bn of funding for local places across the UK. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
