Council’s prosperity fund allocation to go to nine community projects

March 17, 2023

Southend-on-Sea City Council has allocated over £396k of funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support volunteering, social action and local business sectors in the City.

The government have allocated funding throughout the UK for investment in local infrastructure within three local priority sectors; communities and place, support for local businesses and people and skills.

In December 2022, organisations were invited to apply for funding until March 2024, where the assessment panel selected nine projects to receive funding.

The volunteering and social action projects which have been awarded funding are:

Building stronger futures in Southend, led by Home-Start Essex, has been awarded £43,851. For more information on this project visit the Home-Start website.

In2Volunteering, led by Garon Park, has been awarded £59,704. For more information, visit the One Southend website.

Springboard Into Work Through Volunteering, led by Indirock, has been awarded £15,504. For more information, visit the Indirock website.

Parenting Support Groups, led by Cake Club, has been awarded £51,430. For more information, visit the Cake Club website.

Y’s Mentoring Project, led by Southend YMCA, has been awarded £59,130. For more information, visit the Southend YMCA website or contact ysmentoring@southendymca.org.uk.

Active Volunteering with Heritage, led by the council’s museums team, has been awarded £34,646. For more information about the museum service, visit the Southend Museums website.

The business support projects which have been awarded funding are:

A Business Navigator project, led by the council’s economic inclusion team, has been awarded £55,177. Which will aim to continue the great work of the BEST Growth Hub in Southend.

Finance Advice for Business, will be led by Let’s Do Business Group, has been awarded £28,732. For more information, visit the Let’s Do Business’ website.

Cllr Ian Gilbert, cabinet member for economic recovery, regeneration and housing, said: “I’m so pleased to see the variety of community initiatives and local business projects that will be benefitting from UKSPF funding, and providing tangible benefits and improving the lives of Southend’s residents.

“There is a lot of investment and economic growth being seen in Southend and this funding partly focuses on training and upskilling both volunteers and employees, which will help local people gain additional skills to improve their opportunities to access new or different employment.

“Although this new allocation of funding has been distributed for the next financial year, the UKSPF has agreed funding until 2025, so if you are a community organisation or local support for businesses, make sure to look out for the next round of local submissions to see if your organisation can apply for the additional grant and help local people.”