Shropshire “risks being left behind” as UK Shared Prosperity Funding ends
Business and tourism leaders have warned that Shropshire could be left without access to key economic funding after the Government confirmed the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) would not be renewed.
More than £17 million has been allocated to Shropshire through the programme since it began.
The programme’s main replacement will primarily be available only to areas governed by Mayoral Combined Authorities. As Shropshire is not currently part of such an authority, the county has no confirmed route to access similar funding in the future.
Organisations including Shrewsbury BID and Visit Shropshire say ending the funding without transitional arrangements risks creating a damaging gap in support for rural economies.
Seb Slater, Executive Director of Shrewsbury BID, said:
“UKSPF has supported vital programmes that help our town and county grow - from business support and skills development to tourism promotion and infrastructure improvements.
"Ending this funding with no transitional arrangements risks bringing more than thirty years of accessible local growth funding to an abrupt halt for Shropshire. If the replacement fund is only available through Mayoral Combined Authorities, our county currently has no pathway to access it.
"We need urgent solutions to ensure Shropshire is not disadvantaged compared with other parts of the country that already have devolved funding powers.”
Local organisations are urging Shropshire Council to move quickly to establish a partnership with neighbouring authorities that would allow the county to access future growth funding, while also calling on Government to ensure rural areas are not excluded from the next generation of economic programmes.
Tourism leaders say the impact could be particularly significant for the visitor economy – which last year surpassed economic impact of £1 billion for the first time.
Mark Hooper, Project Lead at Visit Shropshire, said:
“Tourism in the Shropshire Council area generates around £1 billion a year and supports more than 9,454 jobs across accommodation, hospitality, attractions, retail and the wider rural supply chain. Many of these businesses are small, independent and seasonal, and they rely on coordinated destination promotion, skills investment and long-term planning to remain competitive.
"For more than three decades, Shropshire’s businesses and visitor economy have operated on the assumption that some form of business and place-based support exists - whether through EU structural funds, Growth Deals, LEPs or the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. What we are now facing is an abrupt cliff edge, with no bridging mechanism and no certainty, despite the fact that new strategic authorities are not yet in place.”
Hooper also warned that major infrastructure ambitions will not deliver economic growth on their own.
“There is a lot of positive discussion about improved rail connections between Shropshire and London, which should be welcome. But connectivity on its own is not a growth strategy.
Without investment in destinations, businesses and skills, there is a real risk that this becomes a one-way railway, making it easier for talent and opportunity to leave the county rather than arrive.”
Cultural organisations have also highlighted the importance of the funding for the county’s creative sector.
Professor Paul Johnson, Chair of Vibrant Shropshire, the county’s Cultural Compact, said UKSPF funding had helped strengthen the resilience of the region’s cultural organisations and expand access to culture.
However, he stated that “with the end of this vital funding stream and no replacement currently available, we are now facing staff redundancies. More worryingly, the Compact itself is at significant risk of closure. This would result in the loss of support for the cultural sector in Shropshire, not to mention a unique partnership that has delivered measurable value and has the potential to further drive cultural and economic growth in our area.
“Given the importance of the work that Vibrant Shropshire and our partners undertake, I am compelled to ask for the Council’s support to ensure that Shropshire is not excluded from any future replacement funding for the UKSPF. The absence of such funding will have far-reaching consequences for our work, our projects, and the cultural life of our communities.”
Partners say they remain committed to supporting economic growth, the visitor economy and the county’s cultural sector, but warn that continued progress will be difficult without access to national growth funding.
