Newark and Sherwood District Council set to have successfully distributed ‘every penny’ of Government UKSPF and REPF funding to communities

A council has succeeded in ensuring ‘every penny’ of a Government funding scheme has been invested into the district’s communities.

An update on Newark and Sherwood District Council’s delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) was shared with councillors at a policy and performance improvement committee meeting on Monday, October 6.

Thanks to a well-managed distribution system, officers explained, the council has so far ensured all of the funding it received was put to good use in the area and none had to be returned to Government, and it is reported to be on track to spend the remainder of funds allocated for the current financial year.

An officer said: “We are in the final year of the shared prosperity fund, and it ends on March 31, 2026. The new regional authority, EMCCA, will take responsibility for any funding in the future.

“I want to start with a bit of a win, because of the programme manager and the work the officer has done over the past three years, we’ve managed to defray 100% of the spend. We are an area that’s not given any money back to Government on this.

“So it has gone in, every penny of it, to our communities.”

The council has seen a total allocation of £4,636,212 through the UKSPF and £1,158,785 from the REPF, up to the funds’ 2026 end date.

Nationally, the UKSPF scheme were designed to support objectives and projects within the themes of: communities and place, people and skills and supporting local businesses — with the REPF acting as a top-up fund to tackle the particular challenges faced by rural communities, such as isolation, lack of access to opportunities, and rural economic growth.

Rhona Holloway, whose ward has benefitted from the fund, said: “I just want to say what a massive difference it has made in my locality, obviously we’ve had the benefit of the grant funding to enable the start of our project for a new community building in Bilsthorpe to take place. Without that, going through the process of putting designs together, getting all the reports done for a planning application, is hugely expensive.

“This has enabled us as a community to actually get that work done so we can get the application to the planning committee, which is well worth it.”

The report presented to the committee noted that, up to March 2025, the funds had seen: 314 businesses supported, 91 jobs safeguarded, 24 jobs created, 28 businesses decarbonisation plans developed, 63 businesses with improved sustainability, 85 businesses with improved productivity, six new businesses created, 266 residents gaining life skills, 42 economically inactive residents newly in job searching, 162 residents completing training courses or obtaining qualifications, 653 residents volunteering, more than 3,000 trees planted, 120 community events delivered, and 15 community facilities created or improved.

These have included the creation of the Boughton Community Hub, redevelopment of the Sherwood Avenue skate park, job clubs, community learning programmes, funding for volunteering schemes and sports clubs, business advice, and start-up programmes.

Another officer added: “We’re of the understanding that it’s unlikely the Government will be extending the programme beyond March, and instead EMCCA are potentially likely to create an alternative capital fund.

“So while we’ve been extremely selective in our investments, focussing on initiatives which grow and build capacity and limit dependency as much as possible, there are some schemes which due to their nature — such as job clubs — that without some form of subsidy will not continue beyond March.

“Despite the uncertainty, we understand that the evidence we have so far demonstrates the success of the programmes locally — and the outcomes, and outputs and impacts of investment will hopefully continue to be felt over the coming months and years.”