Decision details

Decision to grant continuation funding to a series of 2023-5 UKSPF Projects, subsequent to re-application and re-appraisal, in line with the current adopted UK Shared Prosperity/Rural Prosperity Fund Programme for 2025-2026 subsequent to the submission of an agreed Investment Plan for these funds. Each award has been made individually, as a separate non-key decision to award. The awards given are as follows: Specifically including the following projects:
Communities and Place
Active Lincolnshire – Active Communities - £15,500 Revenue
This project supports communities to access sports groups and will also support a cohort of participating residents (at least 10) to train to gain accredited qualifications in the sport and physical activity sector, with a focus on residents in rural areas of South Holland.
Active Lincolnshire and Sutton Bridge Parish Council – Sutton Bridge PlayZone - £68,000 Capital
Following a decision taken to reinstate the prior grant in aid given under the 2023-5 UKSPF Programme, funding for the construction of a new, multi-activity sports and games pitch in Sutton Bridge (A ‘PlayZone’), the UKSPF Investment will match a Football Foundation and Parish Council contribution of £272,000 to leverage a total investment of £350,000 in the facility, which will be delivered by the Football Foundation this year.
South Holland District Council - Continuation of Pride in Place Volunteering Scheme - £9,988 Revenue
Funding for a community volunteer co-ordinator, hosted within SELCP, to support communities to volunteer and undertake community environmental improvements, targeting the creation of a significant number of additional volunteering opportunities for local residents.
Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) – Continuation of LCVS Community Transport - £15,000 Revenue
Continuing the community transport co-ordination efforts being undertaken over the wide SELCP geography through a dedicated officer hosted within the Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service. Supporting the recruitment of additional volunteer drivers to support local residents in the most rural communities without access to transport to access vital services such as health, skills and community groups.
People and Skills
Boston College – Restart, Reskill, Upskill - £29,580 revenue
Continuation (though on a reduced scale) of Boston College's Restart, Reskill, Upskill project delivered across the SELCP area. Targeted at supporting those who are economically inactive to receive both a qualification and a guaranteed interview with a local employer. This year’s programme will focus specifically on supporting a cohort of residents to start long-term apprenticeships at Level 3 or above in the food manufacturing and processing sector, supporting the sector to gain a pipeline of talent drawn from the local population.
Steadfast Training – Connect2Grow - £50,000 Revenue
Support for a cohort of economically inactive residents to gain employment within the local economy, via the provision of an accredited qualification and a guaranteed interview with a local employer.
University of Lincoln – NCFM Higher Level Engineering Skills - £30,000 revenue
Targeted at NEET young people, economically inactive residents and residents employed in the food sector, a series of short courses in robotics, digital, engineering and AI in the food sector, with links to local employers and skills providers. The objective is to spark interest in careers in the food manufacturing sector and to support those currently employed in the sector on to upskilling pathways.

As part of HMG’s prioritisation of local growth through its ‘national missions’ agenda and in line with the commitments made by South Holland District in the UKSPF-RPF Prospectus and Investment Plan submitted to and agreed by the Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority, we have committed to invest in high-impact projects across three core themes:
-Communities and place - Supporting community groups and investment in community facilities; enhancing the cultural and heritage offer; widening the use of community buildings; initiatives to help support our town centres.
-Supporting local business - Helping local businesses invest for future growth; growing the food processing, horticulture and logistics sector; encouraging new businesses to establish; helping the local social and community enterprises to innovate and grow.
-People and skills - Developing skills and employment opportunities within the fresh food, food processing and logistics sectors; creating new training hubs; supporting local residents with skills and access to employment.
The vast majority of these allocations (both in subject matter and scale) mirror the proposals within the District’s Investment Plan for continuation in 2025-6 (selected on the grounds of successful track record in 2023-5 and strategic fit for the future Programme). All were subject to a rigorous re-contracting and assessment process to ensure value for money to the taxpayer. We are confident that these projects can deliver the outcomes expected from the Programme quickly and substantively. This has been the basis of the decision.

Do Nothing/Do not award the funds – The alternative would be to not award the funding, which would bring severe reputational risk to the Council both with the public, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority, as well as run the risk of these funds being reclaimed through the underspend reclaim process outlined by the Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority in the official letter confirming the decision to allocate funds (February 2025) and the subsequent formal allocations letter (May 2025)