Shared Prosperity Funding
Background and Context
Ashford Borough Council has been successful in securing its’ allocation of the UK Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). The council's allocation for 2022-25 was £1,016,512 for UKSPF and £593,508 for REPF. The Government has announced additional UKSPF and REPF funding for 2025-26, with Ashford Borough Council being allocated £332,548 for UKSPF and £178,026 for REPF.
As of April 2025, Ashford Borough Council has spent 99% of its UKSPF and REPF allocations to date providing over £1.5m to support communities and businesses between 2022 and 2025.
Both funds are now linked to the UK Government’s Missions and aim to support interventions in the key themes of Communities & Place, Supporting Local Businesses and People & Skills. The latest round of funding is allocated for work between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Further information about UKSPF is available on the UK Government website. Further information about REPF is available on the UK Government website.
Funding Allocations
The UKSPF activity falls within three Priorities, ‘Community and Place’, ‘Supporting Local Business’ and ‘People and Skills’. The REPF activity falls within two categories, ‘Communities and Place’ and ‘Supporting Local Business’. Ashford Borough Council has identified 11 interventions across these priorities and categories which have been allocated funding for 2025-26. The table below provides the outline funding allocations which may be subject to change in accordance with UKSPF guidance.
| Priority / Category | 2025-26 Capital (budget) | 2025-26 Revenue (budget) |
|---|---|---|
| Communities and Place | £61,399 | £187,847 |
| People and Skills | £0 | £70,000 |
| UKSPF Management | N/A | £13,302 |
| Rural Communities and Place | £91,026 | N/A |
| Rural Supporting Local Business | £87,000 | N/A |
| YEAR TOTAL | £239,425 | £271,149 |
UKSPF funding can be used across the whole Ashford Borough, including Ashford Urban Area, whereas REPF funding can only be used in the rural areas as defined by Defra. An interactive map is available on the Defra website (in the menu on the left hand side please follow 'Administrative Boundaries' and then choose 'Other Administrative Boundaries' and finally choose the 'Rural England Prosperity Fund' option).
Projects and Calls
To keep up to date about UKSPF and REPF opportunities, please subscribe to the Ashford Business Newsletter.
+ Communities and Place - Ashford Town Centre Reset Projects
As part of the Town Centre Reset Strategy Action Plan, some interventions are being delivered using UKSPF funding.
Projects completed include: Ashford UnFramed Mural Festival | (see the video of Ashford Unframed here) Ashford Temporary Furniture and Parklets A Town Centre Accessibility Study was undertaken, with consultants MIMA Group procured to assess the accessibility of the town centre, some business venues and organising training sessions. Installed the Supersonic Ashford Express Play Train near the bandstand Installed Feature Lighting in the trees in Lower High Street to make this part of town more visually appealing. The Carnival of the Baubles event in 2024 was also supported using UKSPF funding. See some of the highlights from the 2023 event here. Upcoming projects: Projects funded by UKSPF will help deliver on the Ashford Town Centre Reset Strategy and Action Plan. More about individual projects will be available in due course.+ Communities and Place - Eat Well Spend Less & Wellbeing Roadshows
As part of our commitment to support communities’ health and wellbeing, the Eat Well Spend Less & Wellbeing Roadshow events are being delivered using UKSPF funding up to March 2026. The team have delivered many successful events since 2023 with over 1,500 visitors to the events and in March 2024 the roadshow received the Healthwatch Recognition Award.
Dates for the next Eat Well Spend Less & Wellbeing Roadshows are announced on our News section.+ Communities and Place - Youth Crime Prevention Programme
Having undertaken a highly successful programme previously, with crime prevention initiatives for individuals up to age 25, we are funding a new programme using UKSPF up to March 2026. The programme was publicly tendered in 2022 and has successfully supported over 37 individuals, dramatically changing the lives of some youngster for the better.
Find out more about the programme delivered by Charlton Athletic Community Trust.+ Communities and Place - Community Cohesion Programme
Ashford Borough Council has identified a need to provide direct community support. Uprising, the youth and community CIO, was contracted to deliver three projects:
Economic Empowerment Workshops, providing work experience and voluntary opportunities on the Hang10 and Community Action Teams. Community Safety Initiatives, delivering quarterly workshops to young people and parents on the real life repercussions of getting involved in gangs and crime and how to prevent this. Community Engagement Activities, providing sessions of their Hang10 sporting activities that young people and families can attend, increasing participation in sport and building community. Find out more about the activities delivered by Uprising UK.+ Communities and Place - Cycling Infrastructure
+ People and Skills - Main People and Skills Programme
We’ve partnered with EKC Group (Ashford College) to continue their Outreach project. This will see Ashford College work with those residents who are unemployed to support them with basic skills that would help them back into the workforce.
+ People and Skills - Screen Ashford Programme
+ Rural Businesses - Rural Green Business Grants
+ Rural Communities and Place - Rural Place and Provenance Grants
+ Rural Communities and Place - Community Capital Grants
We are supporting the council's capital grants programme to support rural community organisations seeking to make improvements to their local infrastructure and assets up to March 2026. To date these grants have, for example, helped improve community halls, repair tennis courts and play areas across the Borough.
Find out more on our Community Grants and Funding page.
+ Rural Communities and Place - Julie Rose Stadium upgrades
We are supporting decarbonisation in the borough by replacing the gas installation with renewable energy in an innovative scheme.
Teratherm Energy's ground source solution harnesses thermal energy distributed through a shallow pipework system set into a resin-based surface, which can be utilised in areas such as car parks, pathways and driveways. This project not only supports the council's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, but also supports a key community asset which provides a vital space for people's wellbeing.Find out more about the Julie Rose Stadium project.
For any further queries please email prosperity.funding@ashford.gov.uk.
