Mar. 04 2024
Source Page: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: evaluationFound: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: evaluation
Mar. 04 2024
Source Page: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: evaluationFound: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: evaluation
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much of the Shared Prosperity Fund has been allocated; and if he will publish a list of all projects that have received money from the fund since its inception.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a £2.6 billion fund for local investment by March 2025. All areas of the UK receive an allocation via a funding formula rather than competition.
We have delegated responsibility for delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to local government. Therefore, it is for places to decide how they use their allocation and this will depend on locally identified priorities. Delivery and management of projects is undertaken at a local level and local authorities can decide when and how to publish on their projects. The department captures this information for fund management purposes.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to replace the Shared Prosperity Fund when that fund comes to an end in March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I have received no formal representations from recipients of UK Shared Prosperity Fund monies in Northern Ireland to date. However, I recognise that UKSPF plays a significant role in supporting important provision across Northern Ireland, and in the normal course of business, my officials are regularly engaging with project deliverers and partners on this issue.
As with all Government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF after the end of the current programme in March 2025 are a matter of the next spending review, so we are currently unable to outline specific plans at this stage. We recognise the need for those delivering UKSPF to have certainty as to its future and are committed to setting out further detail in due course.
My officials are regularly engaging with project leads and partners on this issue.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) local authorities in Wales on the operation of the Shared Prosperity Fund after March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Decisions regarding funding beyond March 2025 are ultimately a matter for the next Spending Review. We nevertheless appreciate the case for certainty and are committed to setting out further detail at the earliest opportunity.
Officials are in regular communication with all local authorities in Wales on this issue, as well as with the Welsh Local Government Association. We will work closely with the Welsh Government on the future of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of total Shared Prosperity Fund funding has been allocated to projects in Northern Ireland as of 4 March 2024.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are investing £15 billion in a suite of complementary Levelling Up projects across the UK to help grow the economy, create jobs, improve transport, provide skills training and support local businesses.
The Levelling Up Fund has invested a total of £4.8 billion into infrastructure that improves everyday life for local residents across the UK. Projects in Northern Ireland received £120 million across rounds one and two of the Levelling Up Fund. In Round three a further £30 million was set aside for Northern Ireland. This means that at least 3% of total Levelling Up Fund allocations have gone to Northern Ireland, in line with our commitments.
The Community Renewal Fund provided £186 million of funding, supporting outputs for 23,000 organisations. Northern Ireland benefitted from just over £12 million of investment, meaning it enjoyed a proportion of 6.45% of the total funding allocated.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland has a total budget of £126 million which represents 4.8% of the total UKSPF budget of £2.6 billion. As of 4 March 2024, £76 million of UKSPF funding has been allocated to 30 projects in Northern Ireland with further investments to follow. We continue to be committed to levelling up all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which UK Shared Prosperity Fund projects have been selected for randomised controlled trials as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund evaluation strategy.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We have recently concluded the feasibility stage of our randomised controlled trials programme, and have selected a local authority to develop trial proposals with. We will publish further details as part of wider updates to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) evaluation strategy in due course.
Randomised controlled trials are just one part of the UKSPF evaluation, which will involve many local authorities across all parts of the UK. The UKSPF evaluation will utilise impact, process and value for money evaluation at the intervention level, as well as deep-dive case studies at the local authority level to help build a detailed understanding of how well the UKSPF has delivered for places.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people have entered employment through the people and skills investment priority of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in each year since its inception.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The number of people to have gained employment through UKSPF people and skills interventions so far is 2,609 – this was 282 in 2022/23, and 2,327 from April to 30 September 2023.
A further update will be available once year end monitoring concludes after April 2024.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received from recipients of funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland on the future of their programmes after March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I have received no formal representations from recipients of UK Shared Prosperity Fund monies in Northern Ireland to date. However, I recognise that UKSPF plays a significant role in supporting important provision across Northern Ireland, and in the normal course of business, my officials are regularly engaging with project deliverers and partners on this issue.
As with all Government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF after the end of the current programme in March 2025 are a matter of the next spending review, so we are currently unable to outline specific plans at this stage. We recognise the need for those delivering UKSPF to have certainty as to its future and are committed to setting out further detail in due course.
My officials are regularly engaging with project leads and partners on this issue.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to maintain funding for projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland after March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is confirmed for this Spending Review period, until the end of March 2025. As with all government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF are a matter for the next Spending Review.
We nevertheless appreciate the case for certainty. We are committed to setting out further detail at the earliest opportunity.